Powerful earthquake strikes Morocco, killing more than 1,300 and damaging historic Marrakech

CNN
—
Rescuers were digging through rubble in remote mountainous areas of Morocco on Saturday after more than 1,300 people were killed in the deadliest earthquake to strike the country in decades.

The 6.8-magnitude earthquake shook Morocco’s High Atlas mountain range shortly after 11 p.m. local time on Friday (6 p.m. ET) at the relatively shallow depth of 18.5 kilometers (11.4 miles), the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said. The epicenter was located about 72 kilometers (44.7 miles) southwest of Marrakech, a city of some 840,000 people and a popular tourist destination.

At least 1,305 people were killed and 1,220 others in a critical condition, Morocco’s state TV Al Aoula said, citing the interior ministry.

Emergency services were deployed to quake-stricken regions, as King Mohammed VI of Morocco ordered that a relief commission be set up to distribute aid to survivors.

Eyewitnesses described scenes of destruction in the Atlas Mountains foothills following the earthquake, amid a rapidly increasing death toll revealing the human cost.
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