Death toll surpasses 2000 in powerful Morocco earthquake

According to Al Jazeera, a terrible earthquake that shook Morocco in the late evening hours of Friday has The earthquake that shook Morocco’s High Atlas mountains late on Friday night damaged historic buildings in Marrakesh, the city closest to the epicentre, but the majority of fatalities were reported in mountainous areas to the south in the Al-Haouz and Taroudant provinces, according to Al Jazeera.

Road-clearing measures are currently being made in preparation for search and rescue operations.

The earthquake occurred at a depth of 18.5 km at 03:41:01 (UTC+05:30). Due to the earthquake’s size, pulses were felt from Sidi Ifni in the south all the way up to Rabat in the north.

The epicentre was located 72 kilometres (km) west of the important business hub Marrakesh. so far more than 2,000 lives.

Authorities on Saturday declared three days of national mourning in the country following the magnitude 6.8 earthquake, which left more than 2,012 people dead, 2,059 injured, and many homeless.

King Mohammed VI of Morocco ordered the military to send out specialised search and rescue teams and a surgical field hospital, according to a military statement.

Al Jazeera reports that the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Department (AFAD) has put 265 members of the medical, relief, and search and rescue organisations on notice in the event that it receives a distress call from Morocco.

It states that 1,000 tents have been set aside to be shipped to Morocco should the government in Rabat make a request for them.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his sorrow for the deaths caused by the earthquake earlier in the day.

PM Modi posted on X, expressing his “extreme pain” for the deaths caused by the earthquake in Morocco. My thoughts are with the people of Morocco at this terrible time. Those who have lost loved ones deserve our condolences. May the injured person heal as soon as possible. India is prepared to help Morocco in every way it needs during this trying period.

Social media posts included images and videos of mountains of rubble and dust clouds as walls collapsed under the force of the earthquake.