A powerful earthquake in Morocco has hit several towns and cities, killing at least 2,000 people and leaving scores of others homeless. The search for survivors is ongoing.
When and where did the earthquake happen?
The magnitude 6.8 quake struck shortly after 11pm local time on Friday, collapsing stone buildings and jolting people from their beds across a wide area. The epicentre was near the rural town of Ighil, in the Al Haouz province, 44 miles (70km) south of Marrakech.
Some remote villages in Al Haouz province, known for its scenic villages and valleys tucked in the High Atlas mountains, were almost entirely destroyed.
The quake also caused major damage to the historically significant, 12th-century Tinmel Mosque in a remote mountain area closer to the epicentre.
The tremor was felt in Morocco’s coastal cities of Rabat, Casablanca, Agadir and Essaouira, and as far away as Portugal and Algeria.
How many people have been killed?
On the state news agency reported that the death toll had climbed to 2,497, with 2,476 people injured.
The death toll is expected to rise as rescuers struggle to reach hard-hit remote areas within the Atlas mountains.
The World Health Organization said more than 300,000 people had been affected by the disaster.
How far did the damage spread?
The quake’s epicentre was south-west of Marrakech, a city beloved of Moroccans and foreign tourists for its medieval mosques, palaces and alleyways. Marrakech’s old quarter suffered extensive damage.
Many mountainous villages and towns suffered building collapses and devastating damage. The village of Tafeghaghte, 37 miles south-west of Marrakech, was almost entirely destroyed, with the quake’s epicentre about 30 miles away.
What is the international rescue response?
Algeria, which has had rocky relations with Morocco, opened its airspace – which had been closed for two years – to flights carrying humanitarian aid and the injured.
Morocco has accepted search and rescue-focused international aid from Spain, Qatar, Britain and the United Arab Emirates, bypassing offers from France and the US. Relations between France and Morocco are strained, notably because of French president Emmanuel Macron’s efforts to forge closer ties with Algeria.
Many teams of international rescuers were registered with the UN ready to deploy, but were awaiting a green light from Moroccan authorities, according to the founder of the aid group Rescuers Without Borders.
Are earthquakes common in the area?
While high-magnitude earthquakes are rare, the Atlas mountains are a site of heavy tectonic plate activity.
In 1960, an earthquake hit Agadir and killed 15,000 people, a third of the city’s population. In 1980, the 7.3-magnitude El Asnam earthquake in neighbouring Algeria killed 2,500 and left at least 300,000 homeless. A 6.5-magnitude earthquake struck the northern port city of Al Hoceima in 2004, killing more than 500 people.
