Nearly 300 people have died after a powerful earthquake rattled Morocco Friday night, according to a preliminary government count, as terrified residents of Marrakesh reported “unbearable” screams followed the 6.8-magnitude tremor.
“According to a provisional report, the earthquake killed 296 people in the provinces and municipalities of Al-Haouz, Marrakesh, Ouarzazate, Azilal, Chichaoua and Taroudant,” Morocco’s interior ministry said in a statement.
Another 153 people were injured, it added.
The quake struck 44 miles (71 kilometres) southwest of tourist hotspot Marrakesh at a depth of 18.5 kilometres at 11:11 pm (2211 GMT), the US Geological Survey said.
“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. Everyone decided to stay outside,” he added.
Fayssal Badour, another Marrakesh resident, told AFP he was driving when the earthquake hit. “I stopped and realised what a disaster it was. It was very serious, as if a river had burst its banks. The screaming and crying was unbearable,” he said.
Hospitals in Marrakesh reportedly saw a “massive influx” of injured people.
In the town of Al-Haouz, near the epicentre of the quake, a family was trapped in the rubble after their house collapsed, local media reported.
