An earthquake with a magnitude of at least 6.8 struck Morocco on Friday, devastating a region where many vulnerable buildings could not withstand the shaking. Official estimates of the death toll rose into the thousands on Sunday.
Sources: US Geological Survey (earthquake intensity reported as of Saturday 6:00 PM, Moroccan time); WorldPop (population data)
The New York Times
Rubble-filled alleys in Marrakech, one of Morocco’s largest cities, but the highest death toll so far has been reported in the small communities of the High Atlas Mountains, where the few roads appeared to be blocked by rubble and telephone service was knocked out.
The epicenter was about 56 kilometers west of Oukaimeden, a popular ski resort in the mountain range.
According to reports on social media, some villages had not received aid more than a day after the earthquake. The region has many mud houses and little earthquake-resistant infrastructure.
Shaking intensity near the epicenter
Sources: US Geological Survey (earthquake intensity reported as of 6pm Saturday); GHSL – Global Human Settlement Layer, European Space Agency.
The New York Times
On Sunday, the largest number of victims to date occurred in Al Haouz province, a mountainous area with small hilltop villages south of Marrakesh. Other casualties have been reported in the provinces of Ouarzazate and Taroudant and in the prefecture of Marrakech.
Regions that have reported deaths
Sources: US Geological Survey (epicenter); WorldPop (population data)
The New York Times
The earthquake was the strongest to hit the area in more than a century.