Photos: Devastating earthquake hits Morocco; buildings reduce to rubble, people gather on streets

Tourists and others posted videos of people screaming and evacuating restaurants in the city as throbbing club music played

Published: Sat 9 Sep 2023, 7:21 AM

Updated: Sat 9 Sep 2023, 8:26 AM

By
Agencies

A powerful earthquake that struck Morocco late Friday night killed at least 296 people, the country’s Interior Ministry said.

The earthquake is Morocco's deadliest since a 2004 tremor near Al Hoceima in the northern Rif mountains which killed over 600 people.

Moroccans posted videos showing buildings reduced to rubble and dust and parts of the famous red walls that surround the old city in historic Marrakech, a UNESCO World Heritage site, damaged. Tourists and others posted videos of people screaming and evacuating restaurants in the city as throbbing club music played.

In these screengrabs, residents examine the damage to vehicles crushed by falling rubble from nearby buildings, while other cars are seen covered in dust.

Several buildings were reduced to rubble after the quake, as can be seen in these handouts by state-owned Al Oula TV.

Residents rushed out into the night at the time of the powerful quake. Men, women and children stayed out in the streets, fearing aftershocks. The below scenes show them gathered on a street in Casablanca, waiting as they debate the all-clear to return to their homes.