Residential buildings collapse after 7 magnitude earthquake in Morocco

September 8, 2023 (Anatolia) An earthquake struck a number of cities in Morocco at around 23:10 (22:10 GMT), causing residential buildings to collapse, according to Anadolu correspondent.

The National Institute of Geophysics (governmental) said in a statement that the earthquake was recorded with a magnitude of 7 on the Richter scale and its center was in the Al-Haouz area.

"The epicenter of the earthquake, which occurred at a depth of about 8 kilometers, is located at latitude 30,961 degrees north and longitude 8,413 degrees west," he said.

For its part, Morocco's Channel One (governmental) reported that the earthquake left material losses in a number of cities in the Kingdom.

The independent website "Youm 24" said that the earthquake caused the collapse of residential buildings in the southern city of Marrakesh, including the silo of one of the city's mosques.

Local websites published a number of videos broadcast on social media platforms, showing the collapse of residential buildings due to the earthquake.

The earthquake struck several cities such as the capital Rabat, Casablanca (the country's largest city), Meknes and Fez (north), according to the Anadolu correspondent.

The Moroccan Interior Ministry said a magnitude 7 earthquake was hitting a number of Moroccan cities, causing 296 deaths and 153 injuries of varying severity, in an initial toll.