A deadly earthquake that occured last Friday night in Morocco, has killed hundreds of people, damaging buildings and villages in the North African country.
Over 1000 civilians according to the Morocco’s Ministry of Interior died in the unfortunate incident.
The victims are mostly residents in Marrakech and five provinces near the quake’s epicentre. Another 153 people were sent to hospitals with injuries.
Meanwhile, the US Geological Survey said the quake had a preliminary magnitude of 6.8 when it hit at 11:11 pm GMT, with shaking that lasted several seconds.
The US agency reported a magnitude of 4.9 aftershock hit 19 minutes later.
The epicentre of Friday’s tremor was near the town of Ighil in Al Haouz Province, roughly 70 kilometres (43.5 miles) south of Marrakech.
The USGS said the epicentre was 18 kilometres (11 miles) below the Earth’s surface, while Morocco’s seismic agency put it at 11 kilometres (7 miles) down saying such shallow quakes are more dangerous.
The scary scenes of the earthquake’s aftermath were shown on Moroccan television with many people staying outside fearing aftershocks.
Videos showed a gaping hole in a home, a car nearly buried by the chunks of a collapsed building while baskets, buckets, and clothing could be seen amid scattered stones in the remains of one building.
Other images shared online showed people running and screaming near the 12th-century Koutoubia Mosque in Marrakech, one of the city’s major landmarks. Moroccan media reported that the mosque suffered damage, but the extent was not immediately clear.
Moroccans also posted videos showing parts of the famous red walls that surround the old city of Marrakech, a UNESCO World Heritage site, damaged.
A U.N. spokesperson said that “the United Nations is ready to assist the government of Morocco in its efforts to assist the impacted population.”