One French citizen was killed and eight were injured in an earthquake that struck Morocco late Friday, a French foreign ministry official confirmed on Saturday.
A French citizen died of a heart attack during the earthquake, the official added, Reuters reports.
The death toll from the earthquake in Morocco has risen to 1.305, the Ministry of the Interior announced.
The number of injured, as reported by the Reuters agency, rose to 1.832 and includes 1.220 people who are in critical condition.
Three days of mourning have been declared in Morocco due to the death of at least 1.037 people in the devastating earthquake.
Flags in that country will be flown at half-mast.
The Government of Montenegro expressed its condolences to the relatives of the victims of the devastating earthquake that struck Morocco late last night.
The death toll from the powerful earthquake that hit Morocco has risen to 1.037, state television announced today, according to the Ministry of Interior, Reuters reports.
More than 1.200 people were injured in a magnitude 7,2 earthquake in Morocco's High Atlas Mountains late Friday night.
According to the previous balance, the number of dead was 820.
Algeria, which severed ties with Morocco last year, said it would open airspace for humanitarian and medical flights to and from Morocco, Reuters reports.
The Reuters agency published photos showing the consequences of the earthquake:
American President Joseph Baden offered American aid to Morocco after a strong earthquake.
Biden expressed his condolences to the victims of the earthquake in Morocco, and said that the United States is "ready to provide all the necessary assistance", reports Radio Free Europe.
"I am deeply saddened by the loss of life and destruction caused by the earthquake in Morocco," he said in a statement.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by this terrible calamity. My administration is in contact with Moroccan officials. We are working expeditiously to ensure the safety of American citizens in Morocco and stand ready to provide all necessary assistance to the Moroccan people. The United States stands with Morocco and my friend King Mohammed VI at this difficult time," Baden wrote.
(Radio Free Europe)
The death toll from the powerful earthquake that hit Morocco has risen to 820, state television reported on Saturday the Ministry of Interior, according to Reuters.
At least 672 people were injured, including 205 seriously, in a 7,2-magnitude earthquake that struck Morocco's High Atlas mountains late on Friday, it added.
The Reuters agency published photos showing citizens donating blood in Morocco.
The powerful earthquake that hit Morocco late last night killed 820 people, state television reported, and the Reuters agency reported.
According to the previous balance, the number of dead was 632.
French President Emmanuel Macron said he was "devastated" by the news and added that his country was "ready to help provide first aid".
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez wrote on X, formerly Twitter: "All my solidarity and support to the people of Morocco after this terrible earthquake."
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also expressed his condolences to the Moroccan people, adding that his country - which was itself hit by a major earthquake earlier this year - was ready to offer support.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed his solidarity with Morocco, sending Morocco his "deepest condolences".
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "gave instructions to provide all necessary assistance to the Moroccan people," according to a press release from his office.
And the African Union expressed its "great pain" due to the "tragic consequences" of the earthquake.
(Radio Free Europe)
The death toll is expected to rise after the earthquake, which is said to have affected a third of the country, reports the BBC.
Reports say there is great difficulty in reaching remote villages in the Atlas Mountains that have been hit hard by the earthquake.
It may be days before rescuers reach the villages, which mostly consist of old buildings.
Even people in the Canary Islands off the coast of Morocco and in Algeria, its eastern neighbor, say they felt the quake.
Milatović expressed his condolences: Montenegro stands with Morocco at this tragic moment
Moroccan television reported today that 632 people died and at least 329 were injured in the earthquake that occurred near Marrakesh.
As reported by the BBC, residents of Marrakesh reported that after the earthquake there was a blackout of electricity and internet access.
Earlier, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that 296 people had died, AP reported.
The preliminary assessment of the American Geological Survey is that the earthquake that occurred last night at 23.11:6,8 PM had a magnitude of XNUMX on the Richter scale.
The first earthquake lasted a few seconds, and 19 minutes later, a magnitude 4,9 earthquake followed.
The Rabat-based National Center for Scientific and Technical Research said the earthquake had a magnitude of 7 on the Richter scale and that its epicenter was in Al Hauz province, southwest of Marrakesh, a popular destination for foreign tourists, reports AFP.
The epicenter of the earthquake was near the town of Ighil in Al Hauz province, approximately 70 kilometers south of Marrakesh.
Emergency workers are searching for survivors in the rubble.
The 12th-century Koutoubia Mosque in Marrakech, one of the city's most famous landmarks, was damaged.
Moroccans also released videos showing damaged parts of the famous red walls surrounding the old city of Marrakesh, which is protected by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
In addition to Marrakesh, ground shaking was also felt in Rabat, Casablanca, Agadir and Essaouira, causing panic among the population.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, host of this weekend's G20 summit in New Delhi, sent his condolences to the relatives of the earthquake victims in a message about the loss of life.
In February 2004, a magnitude 6,3 earthquake shook Al Hoceima province, 400 kilometers northeast of Rabat, killing 628 people and causing massive property damage.
Earlier on February 29, 1960, an earthquake destroyed Agadir, on the country's west coast, and left more than 12.000 dead, or a third of the city's population.
Earthquakes with a magnitude of 6,9 to 160 on the Richter scale are characterized as strong, they can cause damage in populated areas 120 kilometers from the epicenter, and XNUMX of them occur annually in the world.
(BETA)
The European Union (EU) is ready to support Morocco after the earthquake, said the President of the European Council, Charles Michel. "My thoughts are with all those affected by this tragedy and with the rescuers involved in the search operation. The EU is ready to support Morocco in these difficult times," Michel wrote on Twitter.
In the strong earthquake that hit Morocco late last night, 632 people died, many buildings were destroyed, and the population left their homes, state television reported, reports Reuters.
329 people were injured, state media reported today.
The previous toll was 296 dead.
A local official said earlier that most people died in mountainous areas that were difficult to reach.
Residents of Marrakesh, the closest major city to the epicenter, said some buildings collapsed in the old city, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Local television showed images of the collapsed minaret of the mosque and crushed cars.
The Interior Ministry called for calm, saying the earthquakes had hit the provinces of Al Hauz, Ouarzazate, Marrakesh, Azilal, Chichau and Taroudant.
Montasir Itri, a resident of the mountain village of Asni near the epicenter, said most of the houses there were damaged.
"Our neighbors are under the rubble and people are working hard to save them using the available resources in the village," he said, according to Reuters.
Further west, near Tarudant, teacher Hamid Afkar said he ran from his house and felt the aftershocks.
"The ground shook for about 20 seconds. The door was opening and closing by itself as I rushed down from the second floor," he said.
Morocco's geophysical center said a 7,2-magnitude earthquake hit the Igil region of the High Atlas.
The US Geological Survey put the earthquake's magnitude at 6,8 and said it was at a relatively shallow depth of 18,5 km.
Ighil, a mountainous area with small farming villages, is located about 70 km southwest of Marrakesh.
The earthquake occurred shortly after 23 pm on Friday.
The earthquake is Morocco's deadliest since a 2004 quake near Al Hoceima in the northern Rif mountains that killed more than 600 people.
The United Nations stands ready to assist the Moroccan government in "its efforts to help the affected population," UN spokesman Stefan Dizarik said in a statement.
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