Morocco’s deadliest earthquake in decades has killed at least 820 people, officials said on Saturday, causing widespread damage and sending terrified residents and tourists scrambling to safety in the middle of the night.
The interior ministry said another 672 people were injured, including 205 in critical condition.
The 6.8-magnitude quake struck a mountainous area 72 kilometres (45 miles) southwest of tourist hotspot Marrakesh at 11:11pm (10:11pm GMT) on Friday, the US Geological Survey reported.
Strong tremors were also felt in the coastal cities of Rabat, Casablanca and Essaouira.
“We felt a very violent tremor, and I realised it was an earthquake,” Abdelhak El Amrani, a 33-year-old in Marrakesh, told AFP by telephone.
“I could see buildings moving. We don’t necessarily have the reflexes for this type of situation. Then I went outside and there were a lot of people there.
People were all in shock and panic. The children were crying and the parents were distraught.“ “The power went out for 10 minutes, and so did the (telephone) network, but then it came back on,” he added. “Everyone decided to stay outside.”
