At least 632 people have been killed and 329 were injured in the powerful earthquake that struck Morocco, state TV said, citing the Ministry of Interior.
A powerful earthquake of magnitude 6.8 has struck Morocco, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). The USGS estimates that about 20 million people likely felt shaking from the earthquake with over 2 million people experiencing strong to very strong shaking.
“The death toll is likely to increase even more,” say reports.
As the epicentre of the earthquake was in a remote mountainous area, rescue teams and aid services were believed to be having difficulties responding. Most deaths were reported from Morocco’s hard-to-reach mountainous areas, according to Reuters.
The provinces of Al Haouz, Ouarzazate, Marrakech, Azilal, Chichaoua and Taroudant have all been hit.
The head of the National Institute of Geophysics in Morocco has said that Friday’s earthquake is the strongest in a century in the country.
Photos and videos have started to emerge showing the scale of damage inflicted by the magnitude 6.8 earthquake that struck Morocco overnight.
“Our neighbours are under the rubble and people are working hard to rescue them using available means in the village,” a resident of the village Asni near the epicentre, told Reuters.
Messages of support from across the globe have poured in.
The UN said it “is ready to assist the government of Morocco in its efforts to assist the impacted population.”
The European Union’s Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič said the EU is “ready to provide any assistance necessary.”
The G20 summit, that kicked off early morning Saturday in India, began with a condolence message. “Before starting the official proceedings, I would like to express my condolences to the people impacted by the earthquake in Morocco,” India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi said.
