INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
A powerful 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck Morocco on Friday night, killing nearly 300 people and forcing many residents to spend the night
in the streets in what the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said was the strongest tremor to hit that part of the North African nation
local time at the relatively shallow depth of 18.5 kilometers (11.4 miles), USGS said, with the epicenter located about 72 kilometers (44.7
miles) southwest of Marrakech, a city of some 840,000 people and a popular tourist destination.At least 296 people were killed, and 153
others were wounded, Morocco state-run Al-Aoula television reported on Saturday.The Royal Moroccan Armed Forces warned that residents were
size in the region are uncommon, but not unexpected
Since 1900, there have been no earthquakes M6 (magnitude 6) and larger within 500 km of this earthquake, and only 9 M5 (magnitude 5) and
Saturday showed multiple buildings collapsed near the epicenter and reported that thousands of people had fled their homes after the
people were moving debris by hand while they waited for heavy equipment, local resident Id Waaziz Hassan told Reuters news agency.Another
Marrakech resident, Brahim Himmi, told Reuters he saw ambulances coming out of the old town and that many building facades were damaged
He said people were frightened and were staying outside in case of another quake.Shaking was also felt in the capital Rabat, some 350km
north of of the High Atlas mountains, Reuters said citing eyewitnesses.Source: CNN
-Agencies
