At least 100 dead after 6.8-magnitude earthquake strikes Morocco

RABAT, Morocco — At least 100 were dead in Friday night’s magnitude 6.8 earthquake in Morocco, the country’s armed forces said.

An NBC News translation of the Moroccan Armed Forces account on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, said its accounting was “initial.”

The armed forces also said safety was still a priority as strong aftershocks rocked the nation.

The powerful earthquake damaged buildings in major cities and sent panicked people pouring into streets and alleyways from the capital Rabat to Marrakech, the county’s most visited tourist destination.

The number of injured was unknown.

Moroccans posted videos showing some buildings turned to rubble and parts of the famous red walls that surround the old city in historic Marrakech damaged. Tourists and others posted videos of people evacuating restaurants in the city as throbbing club music played.

“Earthquakes are not common in the area, but [this was] not unexpected,” said U.S. Geological Survey geophysicist Anna Andreyev, who said the quake is the largest since 1900.

She added, “Based on the depth and the magnitude, we can expect significant damage.”

The USGS said the quake had a preliminary magnitude of 6.8 when it hit at 11:11 p.m., with shaking that lasted several seconds. Morocco’s National Seismic Monitoring and Alert Network measured it at 7 on the Richter scale. The U.S. agency reported a magnitude-4.9 aftershock hit 19 minutes later.

Variations in early measurements are common, although either reading would be Morocco’s strongest in years. Though earthquakes are relatively rare in North Africa, a magnitude 5.8 tremor struck near Agadir and caused thousands of deaths in 1960.

The epicenter of Friday’s tremor was high in the Atlas Mountains roughly 43.5 miles south of Marrakech. It was also near Toubkal, the highest peak in North Africa and Oukaimeden, a popular Moroccan ski resort.

The USGS said the epicenter was 11 miles below the Earth’s surface, while Morocco’s seismic agency put it at 5 miles down.

Neither Moroccan officials nor MAP, Morocco’s official news agency, had published any information about casualties or damages as of early Saturday. Government officials typically use the agency to communicate information about important matters.