Morocco Quake Becomes Deadliest As Over 2,000 Killed; Days Of National Mourning Declared

The death toll in the powerful earthquake in Morocco has already climbed to over 2,000.

With this, search and rescue authorities continue their operations in a bid to save more lives from the collapsed houses after a magnitude 6.8 earthquake jolted the country.

Authorities noted that more than 2,012 people were killed while 2,059 others were injured.

(Photo : Getty Images/Fadel Senna)

Devastation

Many people are left homeless due to the earthquake, which has been considered as the country's deadliest earthquake in more than 60 years.

Due to the extensive damage of the quake, King Mohammed VI already directed the country's military to mobilize the specialized search and rescue teams and to establish a surgical field hospital for the victims.

The quake had caused major destruction in the historic buildings that were located in Marrakesh, which was the nearest city to the epicenter.

Most of the fatalities that were recorded were those in the mountainous areas to the south, specifically in the provinces of Al-Haouz and Taroudant.

Government authorities have led the response efforts including search and rescue and medical support.

Information from the World Health Organization said that more than 300,000 civilians in Marrakesh and its outskirts as having been affected by the earthquake.

Many victims are trapped in the rubbles of their homes while hospitals in the city are receiving an influx of injured people.

The World Bank already expressed sympathies to the victims of Morocco earthquake, which have caused a tragic loss of life, injuries, and damages in the areas south of Marrakech.

"We have relayed our profoundest condolences to the Kingdom at the highest levels and offered our full support to the country in the wake of this catastrophe. Our sole focus at this stage is on the Moroccan people and the authorities who are dealing with this tragedy," the World Bank said.

Many countries also vowed to help for the recovery of Morocco.

Due to the massive devastation, the government of Morocco already declared three days of mourning. The Palace said national flags will be flown at half-mast.

Quake detection

The US Geological Survey spotted the epicenter of the earthquake in the Moroccan High Atlas mountain range, about 46 miles southeast of Marrakech.

At 11:11 pm local time of September 8, the US Geological Survey's National Earthquake Information Center detected the relatively shallow earthquake, having a depth of about ~26 km, or 16 miles, near the town of Oukaïmedene.

The said rural area, which is about 75 km (50 miles) southwest of Marrakech, houses many residences that are vulnerable to shaking.

Due to the shallow depth of the event and its proximity to high population centers, many of the buildings in the area have experienced severe shaking that later resulted in catastrophic failure.

Authorities already reported one major aftershock of magnitude 4.9, which occurred 20 minutes after the main shock.

Officials also said that weak shaking have been reported in neighboring countries such as Portugal, Spain, and Algeria.

Experts warned that it is likely that smaller aftershocks in the region below the USGS NEIC's detection will be experienced and that reporting thresholds will continue to be felt by the public for the next weeks to come.

To recall, it was in 1960 when the magnitude 5.8 Agadir earthquake killed 12,000 to 15,000 people in coastal western Morocco.

The USGS said that earthquakes in the magnitude 6 range are more common in the northern part of Morocco near the Mediterranean Sea.

This is where a magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck in February 2004 and a magnitude 6.3 in January 2016.

Experts said that the earthquake was the result of oblique reverse faulting on a roughly east-west or northwest-southeast oriented fault, possibly the North Atlas fault which is a range front reverse fault that roughly matches the faulting mechanism of the earthquake.

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