Morocco quake toll now 820; Pinoys safe

A devastating earthquake near Morocco's top tourist spot, Marrakech, killed at least 820 people, authorities said on Saturday. The figure is still rising as at press time.

Another 672 persons were injured, including 205 in critical condition, the Interior Ministry said, after the late-Friday quake that measured 6.8 on the Richter scale, making it Morocco's strongest ever recorded.

Strong tremors were also felt in the coastal cities of Rabat, Casablanca and Essaouira.

"We felt a very violent tremor, and I realized it was an earthquake," Abdelhak El Amrani, 33, told AFP by telephone from Marrakech.

"I could see buildings moving," said Amrani, who ran outside, joining many other people, "all in shock and panic. The children were crying, and the parents were distraught."

It was the most powerful quake ever to hit the country, and one expert called it the region's "biggest in more than 120 years."

No Filipino was reported hurt in the temblor. In a text message on Saturday morning, Philippine Ambassador to Morocco Leslie Baja said the embassy continues to monitor the situation as reports come in from local authorities.

"An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 occurred about 82 kilometers southwest of Marrakech. Embassy people are ok. We are checking the situation of the Filipino community," Baja said. "Thus far, (there are) no reports of injuries."

Local reports citing Morocco's Interior Ministry said the number of fatalities has reached 296 while about 153 were injured and sent to hospital.

The tremor, which damaged historic buildings, was also felt in several cities across Morocco, including the capital Rabat.

The United States Geological Survey officially recorded the earthquake at 10:11 p.m. (US time) at magnitude 6.8.

Meanwhile, the National Geophysical Institute of Morocco recorded it at magnitude 7.0 at 11:11 p.m. (local time), with the epicenter located in the district of Igil, province of El Haouz, part of the Marrakech-Safi region.

Algeria, Mauritania felt tremor

According to Anadolu news agency, Morocco's National Seismic Monitoring and Alert Network assessed the earthquake at magnitude 7.0 on the Richter scale, as well as felt in neighboring Algeria and Mauritania.

Citing the Interior Ministry, Morocco's Royal Armed Forces posted on X (formerly Twitter) that the fatalities were from Al Haouz and Marrakech provinces, as well as the cities of Ouarzazate, Azilal, Chichaoua and Taroudant.

The situation is particularly dire in the Marrakech region, where numerous houses have collapsed, and residents are trapped under debris. The distressing scenes were corroborated by multiple videos showing people pleading for help on social media, added Anadolu.

According to TASS news agency, the previous strong earthquake in Morocco at magnitude 6.3 occurred on 24 February 2004, in the province of El Hoceima north of the country.

Filipino community leader Regina Castillo said she had yet to receive reports of injured compatriots in her jurisdiction in Casablanca.

Castillo, who is currently in the city of El Jadida, about 230.2 km. from Marrakech, said the quake was so strong that she and her kids had to rush out of their house to take cover.

"For the moment, I have not received any reports of injured Filipinos, and, hopefully, everyone here in Morocco is safe," she said.

"We are currently in El Jadida, and we felt the earthquake. My kids are scared to go inside the house," she added.

As of the last count this year, at least 4,600 Filipinos work in households, beauty salons, construction projects and restaurants in Morocco.