At least 2,100 people have been killed after a magnitude 6.8 earthquake shook Morocco for several seconds.
The earthquake struck at 11:11 p.m. local time (6:11 p.m. EDT) about 43 miles south of Marrakech, the capital of Morocco.
At least 2,122 people died in the quake, mostly in Marrakech and five provinces near the epicenter, Morocco’s Interior Ministry reported Saturday night, according to AP. At least 2,421 more people were injured — 1,404 critically — the ministry said.
The quake was the hardest to hit Morocco in 120 years, AP reported, and in the country’s ancient cities it toppled buildings and walls in made from stone and masonry not designed to withstand quakes.
“The problem is that where destructive earthquakes are rare, buildings are simply not constructed robustly enough to cope with strong ground shaking, so many collapse resulting in high casualties,” Bill McGuire, professor emeritus of geophysical and climate hazards at University College London, told AP. “I would expect the final death toll to climb into the thousands once more is known. As with any big quake, aftershocks are likely, which will lead to further casualties and hinder search and rescue.”
Videos shared on social media sites showed buildings crumbled. The famous red walls that surround the old city in Marrakech were damaged, AP reported.
