'200 killed' in Moroccan earthquake
A powerful earthquake struck northern Morocco overnight, toppling houses and killing at least 86 people. It was feared the toll could rise to at least 200.
The quake shook rural areas near the coastal city of Al-Hoceima, officials said, and there were deep worries about the fate of three villages – Ait Kamra, Tamassint and Imzourn – where 30,000 people live in mud structures unable to withstand a major natural disaster.
Military and civilian rescuers were dispatched to the scene to help survivors and search for victims trapped under rubble. Helicopters filled with emergency supplies were being prepared for takeoff.
Rescuers reported difficulties in reaching the affected area, however, because it is surrounded by mountains and served by narrow, poor roads.
The death toll was expected to rise throughout the day, the Interior Ministry said. A doctor at Mohammed V hospital in Al-Hoceima told French television station LCI that there were “many deaths and many injured”.
“Most of the injured have broken bones,” he said. “Houses collapsed. It was a very, very violent jolt.”
Another doctor at the hospital said hundreds of people were injured and that he expected the death toll to go to at least 200.
According to the US Geological Survey, the 6.5-magnitude quake was centred 100 miles northeast of Fez.
Al-Hoceima is the largest city in northern Morocco and is populated by Berbers. The region suffers from extreme poverty and underdevelopment and has been neglected by the government for decades following a rebellion in 1960.
The local economy is sustained by fishing and by farmers who grow cannabis.
US Geological Survey spokesman Butch Kinerney said the earthquake’s strength and depth could lead to damage along the coasts. He said the quake would likely be felt up to 200 miles away in Algeria.
The last large earthquake to hit the area measured 6.0 and struck in 1994. But Morocco’s deadliest earthquake was in 1960, when 15,000 people were killed after a devastating quake shook the southern city of Agadir and surrounding regions.
| Related Stories: |
|
