Hundreds Dead As Quake Hits Morocco

Hundreds of people have tragically lost their lives following a powerful 6.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Morocco on Friday night, as reported by state TV.

This quake is the strongest to hit that part of the North African nation in over 120 years. I Photo: alyaoum24 Wikimedia Commons

Initial reports indicate the death toll stands at 296, as per the report by Chris Lau, Sean Federico O’Murchu, and Andrew Raine for CNN.

Rescue teams are reportedly facing challenges in reaching the most severely affected areas. The earthquake's epicenter was in the High Atlas mountains, approximately 72 kilometers (44.7 miles) southwest of Marrakech, a city with a population of around 840,000 people and a popular tourist destination.

This quake is the strongest to hit that part of the North African nation in over 120 years, according to the US Geological Survey.

The historic walls of Marrakech, a set of defensive ramparts first constructed in the early 12th century, have also suffered damage.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz have extended their condolences to the people of Morocco from the sidelines of the G20 summit they are currently attending in India, as reported by Xiaofei Xu and Benjamin Brown for CNN.

Scholz expressed, "This is terrible news from Morocco. In these difficult hours, our thoughts are with the victims of the devastating earthquake," in a message shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Saturday.

In French, von der Leyen conveyed, "My heart goes out to the Moroccan people in the face of the terrible earthquake that claimed hundreds of lives last night," also on X.

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