MARRAKESH, Morocco, September 9: Hundreds of people lost their lives and many injured when a devastating earthquake hit Morocco late last night.
Moroccan state television, citing the Ministry of the Interior, reported that the number of victims of the earthquake which struck the country Friday had risen to 822 dead and 672 injured, including 205 in serious condition who are taken to the hospital. There are the preliminary figures announced by the ministry.
The earthquake hit capital Rabat, Casablanca, Meknes, Fas and other provinces of the country including El Gouz, Marrakesh, Ouarzazate, Azilal, Chichaoua and Taroudant.
A Moroccan official announced that the earthquake which struck the country on Friday evening was “the most violent in a century.”
The head of the department at the National Institute of Geophysics (governmental), Nasser Jabour, told the media that it is “the first time in a century that the centre has recorded a violent earthquake of this type in Morocco.”
He said that “the earthquake, whose epicentre was located in the village of Ighil (city of Marrakesh), was felt in many cities within a radius of 400 km.”
The United Nations announced its readiness to support the Moroccan government in its efforts to help the people affected by the earthquake which struck the country.
The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, expressed his condolences to the King of Morocco, Mohammed VI, for the victims of the earthquake.
