BREAKING: 632 killed as deadly earthquake rocks Morocco

BREAKING: 632 killed as deadly earthquake rocks Morocco

More than 600 people have died after a powerful earthquake struck central Morocco, according to the country’s interior ministry
The quake – measuring magnitude 6.8 – sent people rushing into the streets in Marrakesh and other cities
Many of the deaths were said to be in hard-to-reach mountain areas – and at least 153 people were injured
It struck just after 23:00 local time, at a relatively shallow depth 71km (44 miles) south-west of Marrakesh, according to the US Geological Survey
Unverified video clips on X (formerly Twitter) show damaged buildings and rubble-strewn streets.
Lorella Palmer, a British tourist on holiday in Marrakesh, described what happened when the quake hit.

“The room just started shaking,” she told BBC News.

She felt like “there was someone hoovering the walls in the room next to ours”, she added.

“I think your brain doesn’t register straight away what is happening until the picture frames and the bed start shaking.”
“We now have confirmation that 632 people died and 329 were injured, according to an update by the Moroccan interior ministry, quoted by the AFP news agency.

According to the ministry, of those injured, 51 were in a critical condition after the earthquake.
Moroccan reporter Aida Alami grew up in Marrakesh and has been in touch with her parents who are there. She says the earthquake was totally unexpected

“It’s not a country where people know what to do in case of earthquakes and just people were outside. They were really worried about aftershocks and they didn’t know what to do and no-one was telling them what to do,” she told the BBC.

“Some of the shocking images we saw this morning [are of] the ancient walls that are around the old city that everyone who has been to Marrakesh has walked along.

“And we’re seeing rubbles and we’re seeing a lot of destruction inside. These are very old buildings, they’re probably not built solidly enough.
BBC