morroco earthquake damage 2023
© ABC7FILE PHOTO: Survivors pick their way through the rubble near Marrakech, Morocco, after a 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck the city on September 9, 2023
Late Friday, a 6.9-magnitude earthquake hit Morocco 77 kilometers (48 miles) southwest of the city of Marrakesh. King of Morocco Mohammed VI on Saturday declared three days of national mourning following the disaster, with the national flag to be flown at half-staff on all public buildings.

Moroccan geological researcher Dr. Kamal Aghroud told Sputnik that such an earthquake "in Morocco has not been observed in the country since 1755."
"Previous earthquakes of this magnitude have not been recorded in the past, including the Al Hoceima earthquake in 2004, which measured 6.4 on the Richter scale, and the Agadir earthquake in 1960, which was the most destructive because it killed about 15,000 people at that time, it was about 6 points."
He noted that "the earthquake was the result of a new movement of faults in the High Atlas mountain range, but it was not expected to reach a magnitude of 7," explaining that "aftershocks are still possible, but they are of a lesser magnitude and may not be felt."
morocco earthquake
© UNIAN collage, screenshot from videoThe number of victims of the devastating earthquake in Morocco is growing rapidly
According to the researcher, the likelihood of a tsunami occurring after an earthquake is low, given that "the epicenter of the earthquake is located in the earth's crust deep under the city of Marrakesh, and the city itself is located quite far from the sea."

People comfort each other while digging graves for victims of the earthquake, in Ouargane village, near Marrakech, Morocco, Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023. A rare, powerful earthquake struck Morocco, sending people racing from their beds into the streets and toppling buildings in mountainous villages and ancient cities not built to withstand such force.