A strong earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale hit Morocco's High Atlas mountains late on Friday, killing at least 820 people, while 672 were left injured and destroying buildings, reported AFP citing the Interior Ministry. According to Aljazeera, most of the casualties and damage occurred near the epicentre of the quake in provincial areas, the interior ministry said. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the incident and offered all possible help to Morocco.
In his G20 Summit inaugural address, the PM sent the message that the world stands with the North African country.
"Extremely pained by the loss of lives due to an earthquake in Morocco. In this tragic hour, my thoughts are with the people of Morocco. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest. India is ready to offer all possible assistance to Morocco in this difficult time," PM Modi.
The report added that the earthquake’s epicentre was at a relatively shallow depth of 18.5 km and occurred about 72 km (44 miles) southwest of Marrakesh and 56 km (around 35 miles) west of the town of Oukaimeden. The tremor struck just after 11 pm local time (22:00 GMT), according to the United States Geological Survey, the report added.
Meanwhile, Janez Lenarčič, the European Commissioner for Crisis Management and in charge of European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid, said that it is ready to provide assistance to Morocco.
"Central #Morocco has been hit by a devastating #earthquake taking a heavy toll on human life. EU’s Emergency Response Coordination Centre is closely monitoring the situation. We stand ready to provide any assistance necessary if requested," Lenarčič said.
Residents of Marrakech (the nearest major city to the epicentre) said that some buildings in the 'Old City', which is a UNESCO World Heritage site, got toppled that day. Reuters cited the reports of local media channels that showed pictures of a fallen mosque minaret with rubble lying on smashed cars.
The local official said that most of the deaths were recorded in the mountainous areas which were hard to reach.
According to the Pan-Arab al-Arabiya news channel, five people were killed from only one family, whereas, a local news site Goud.ma reported that around 50 people died, Reuters reported.