Morocco earthquake At least 1,037 killed in quake near Marrakesh

Historic Marrakech buildings damaged in quake

The historic Moroccan city of Marrakesh suffered extensive damage in the powerful earthquake.

Marrakech’s famous Koutoubia Mosque, built in the 12th century, was damaged as well, but the extent was not immediately clear, officials have said. Its 69-metre (226-foot) minaret is known as the “roof of Marrakech”.

Moroccans also posted videos showing damage to parts of the famous red walls that surround the old city, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

A view of the Koutoubia mosque in the city of Marrakesh.
A view of the Koutoubia mosque in the city of Marrakesh [File: Fadel Senna/AFP]

Moroccan troops, emergency services in race against time to reach survivors

Moroccan troops and emergency services are scrambling to reach remote mountain villages where casualties are still feared trapped.

The 6.8-magnitude quake struck late Friday in a mountainous area 72 kilometres (45 miles) southwest of tourist hotspot Marrakesh, the US Geological Survey reported.

In the mountain village of Moulay Brahim near the quake’s epicentre, rescue teams searched for survivors in the rubble of collapsed houses while residents began digging graves for the dead on a nearby hill.

The army set up a field hospital in the village and deployed “significant human and logistical resources” to support the rescue operation, state news agency MAP reported.

Rescue workers search for survivors in a collapsed house in Moulay Brahim, Al Haouz province, on September 9, 2023.
Rescue workers search for survivors in a collapsed house in Moulay Brahim, Al Haouz province, on September 9, 2023, after an earthquake [Fadel Senna/AFP]
Post Disclaimer | Support Us

Support Us

The sailanmuslim.com web site  entirely supported by individual donors and well wishers. If you regularly visit this site and wish to show your appreciation, or if you wish to see further development of sailanmuslim.com, please donate us

IMPORTANT : All content hosted on sailanmuslim.com is solely for non-commercial purposes and with the permission of original copyright holders. Any other use of the hosted content, such as for financial gain, requires express approval from the copyright owners.

Check Also

UN General Assembly presses Security Council to give ‘favourable consideration’ to full Palestinian membership

The UN General Assembly convened again in New York on Friday for an emergency special …

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.