Massive earthquake strikes Morocco, kills nearly 1,000 people

No less than 820 people have been killed and 672 injured in Morocco after one of the most powerful earthquakes to ever strike the country.

Of the injured, 205 are said to be seriously hurt, according to Morocco’s Interior Ministry.

The tremors were centred in the High Atlas mountains late on Friday night. The toll was expected to rise as rescuers struggled to reach the remote areas hit hardest, per UK Independent report.

The epicentre was said to be in the Ighil area, about 40 miles (70km) south of Marrakech.

The tremor had an initial 6.8 magnitude when it hit at 11.11pm local time, with shaking that lasted several seconds. Morocco’s National Seismic Monitoring and Alert Network, however, said the earthquake struck at a magnitude of 7.2.

A 4.9-magnitude aftershock was reported just 19 minutes after the earthquake, according to the US Geological Survey.

Videos have emerged of several buildings being reduced to rubble and have left parts of the famous red walls in Marrakech damaged.