At least 1,000 people have been killed and numerous locations have suffered significant damage as a result of the powerful earthquake, which had a magnitude of 6.8.
On Friday at 22:11 GMT (local time), residents flocked to the streets as the earthquake hit.
From Casablanca to Marrakesh, “violent” tremors were reported throughout the nation; many of the country’s structures were either completely destroyed or significantly damaged.
Three days have been set aside for national mourning by the country’s royal palace.
It further stated that rescue teams would be sent out by the military to deliver food, tents, blankets, and clean drinking water to the impacted communities.
Many of the victims are thought to be in remote mountainous regions.
71 kilometers (44 miles) southwest of Marrakech, in the High Atlas Mountains, was where the epicenter was located.
Rescue attempts are in progress, and many individuals are still thought to be hidden beneath the wreckage. A number of bodies have already been found.
The number of injured persons visiting Marrakesh hospitals has increased, and the government has urged locals to provide blood.
Al-Haouz, Marrakesh, Ouarzazate, Azilal, Chichaoua, and Taroudant were among the provinces and towns where the earthquake claimed lives, according to Morocco’s interior ministry, which also said that over 1,200 people were hurt.
Some structures in Marrakech have collapsed, and the damage is particularly bad in some areas of the Medina, which is a Unesco World Heritage site.
A significant tourist destination next to the main plaza of the old city, the famous Kutubiyya mosque, had dust encircling its minaret, and the Jemaa el Fnaa mosque had partially collapsed.
Moments after last night’s earthquake rattled Marrakesh, resident Rashid Ben Arabi hurried to his car.
He hurriedly traveled to the village of Amizmiz, which is 56 kilometers (35 miles) from Marrakesh, with his wife and 1-year-old daughter to make sure his parents were still alive.
He claimed that everyone fled the city in total darkness and blackout as the roads were jam-packed with people.
Everyone was crying and yelling, and everyone began to search for their relatives as soon as he arrived in his town, he claimed.
“I saw a man lying on the ground by the wreckage of his house. He could hear the screaming of his two children stuck under the collapsed structure, but he was unable to do anything to help them because rescue crews hadn’t yet arrived at the scene.”
Rashid ultimately located his parents, who were sleeping in the street and were unharmed but wrapped in blankets.
The Moroccan authorities had advised everyone not to return to their houses in the event of strong aftershocks, so they were among the numerous individuals who spent the night outside.
19 minutes after the earthquake, a magnitude-4.9 aftershock was registered.
In contrast, the amount of destruction in mountain villages is uncertain, but it is thought to be extensive.
The earthquake’s shallow epicenter was in a distant region of the High Atlas Mountains, although vibrations were also reportedly felt 350 km away from Rabat, Casablanca, and Essaouira.
Simple structures in mountain settlements close to the center may not have survived, and because they are far away, it may take some time to ascertain how many people were killed there.
Although Algeria, a neighboring country, felt the quake as well, no damage or injuries were reported, according to officials.
Even though it terminated connections with its neighbor in 2021, which included halting direct flights in both directions, Algeria said it was prepared to open its airspace for flights carrying supplies and people to Morocco.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared during a speech at the G20 conference in Delhi that Morocco would get assistance from the international community.
“Solidarity and support to the people of Morocco,” said Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. The news left French President Emmanuel Macron “devastated,” and he extended an offer of help to Morocco.
Vladimir Putin said Russia felt “the pain & the mourning of the brotherly Moroccan people,” and US Vice President Joe Biden & Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky both offered their support.