Morocco’s Interior Ministry reported 2,681 deaths from last Friday’s earthquake. At least 2,501 people were injured.
The quake hit the central region and was the deadliest since 1960. Its epicenter was in Marrakech, and scored 6.8 on the Richter scale.
Al Haouz was the worst-hit area, recording 1,591 deaths. Taroudant followed with 809. Officials warn these numbers could rise.
Algeria opened its airspace on Saturday for aid flights to Morocco. The airspace was closed in 2021 due to diplomatic issues.
France will give €5 (US$5.5) million to aid groups in the affected regions. Four French citizens died, and 15 were hurt, said Catherine Colonna, French Foreign Minister.
No Brazilians are among the casualties. For help, people can contact the Brazilian Embassy in Rabat.
This was the most lethal earthquake in the area since 1960. Seismic events of this scale are rare here.
George de França, a seismology expert, said it was an “intraplate” quake, far from tectonic plate edges.
Such quakes in stable regions can cause significant damage.
The earthquake happened 18.5 km underground, increasing its lethal impact. Morocco is 550 km south of the boundary between the African and Eurasian plates.
Background
Morocco has generally low seismic activity compared to other regions. However, it has experienced devastating quakes in its history.
The 1960 Agadir earthquake was the deadliest before last Friday’s event. It killed around 12,000 people.
The recent opening of Algeria’s airspace indicates warming relations between the two countries.
They have a long history of tension. This emergency could push both countries to reconsider their diplomatic ties.
Geo-experts are calling for better preparedness in the region.
Friday’s quake shows that even stable geological zones can experience high-magnitude events.
More: Morocco news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
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