More than a thousand dead in the Moroccan earthquake that struck several cities

The death toll from the earthquake that struck Morocco on Friday night has risen to at least 1,037, according to the Moroccan Interior Ministry.

Casualties were recorded in the provinces and prefectures of Al Haouz, Marrakesh, Ouarzazate, Azilal, Chichaoua and Taroudan.

A local official said that most of the deaths were in hard-to-reach mountainous areas.

And the National Institute of Geophysics, in Morocco, reported that an earthquake measuring 7 degrees on the Richter scale was recorded in Al Haouz province, in the center of the country, at 11:00 on Friday night, Moroccan time.

The National Institute of Geophysics indicated that the aftershocks, following the earthquake that struck Morocco, could continue, adding that "the aftershocks are expected to continue for a few days or a few weeks before they disappear," according to Moroccan media.

Videos posted on social media showed destroyed buildings, other buildings shaking, and streets filled with scattered debris. People were seen running away in panic, and some were walking through clouds of dust.

There were reports of families still trapped under the rubble of their homes. Hospitals in the city of Marrakesh witnessed an influx of wounded from various regions, and the authorities called on citizens to donate blood.

Many of the footage published on the X platform showed buildings collapsing, but the BBC was unable to locate those buildings.

Residents decided to stay outside their homes in anticipation of other strong earthquakes.

The US Geological Survey said that a strong earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 struck central Morocco, adding that the epicenter of the earthquake was 71 kilometers southwest of Marrakesh, and at a depth of 18.5 kilometers.

Residents of Marrakech, the closest large city to the epicenter, said that some buildings had collapsed in the old part of the city, which is classified in the UNESCO World Heritage List, and footage of the city wall dating back to the Middle Ages showed large cracks in one of its sections, the fall of parts of it and the scattering of rubble. in the street.