Marrakesh. Collapse of a tower in Jamaa El Fna [Vidéo]

The earthquake of magnitude 7 on the Richter scale which struck several regions of Morocco, notably Chaouiya, Al Al Haouz and Sousse, on Friday around 10 p.m., caused material damage in several towns but the authorities did not reported immediate casualties. In Marrakech, near the epicenter of the earthquake, a tower collapsed at Jamaa El Fna Square.

In a video relayed on social networks, residents of the ocher city, panicked, move away from a dust storm caused by the fall of the tower of a mosque located at the Jamaa El Fna lake. According to witnesses, the tremor was felt more virulently than in the rest of the regions?. Unofficial sources mentioned the collapse of some buildings.

This earthquake, which frightened Moroccan citizens in several cities. Panicked, crowds took to the streets, especially in Casablanca, for fear of a second shock. The epicenter, measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale according to the American Institute of Geophysics (USGS), is located southwest of the tourist city of Marrakech, 320 km south of the capital Rabat. It is also reported that the city of Agadir was heavily affected, buildings. However, no human loss is mentioned.

The National Center for Scientific and Technical Research (CNRST) based in Rabat indicated that the earthquake had a magnitude of 7 degrees on the Richter scale and that its epicenter was located in the province of Al- Haouz.

According to images circulating on social networks and witnesses, the earthquake caused material damage but the authorities did not immediately report any casualties.

Besides Marrakech, it was felt in Rabat, Casablanca and Essaouira, sowing panic among the population. Many people took to the streets of these cities, fearing the collapse of their homes, according to images posted on social networks. In photos and videos published by Internet users, we can see significant debris of homes in the alleys of the Marrakech medina. But also cars crushed by stones. “There is not too much damage, more panic. We heard screams at the time of the tremor. People are in the squares, in the cafes, prefer to sleep outside. There are pieces of facades that have fallen,” a resident of Essaouira, 200 km west of Marrakech, told AFP by telephone.

The earthquake was recorded shortly after 11:00 p.m. local time, at 10:11 p.m. GMT precisely. The depth of the earthquake was estimated at 18.5 km, according to the USGS.

The Euro-Mediterranean Seismological Center (CSEM), a scientific organization specializing in seismic activity in the Mediterranean region, for its part estimated the magnitude of this earthquake at 6.9.

On February 24, 2004, an earthquake measuring 6.3 degrees on the Richter scale shook the province of Al Hoceima, 400 km northeast of Rabat, killing 628 people and causing significant material damage.