Morocco’s devastating 6.8-magnitude earthquake was the deadliest seismic event the country has experienced in more than a century, and it has left behind a landscape of devastation in the Atlas Mountains and the historic streets of Marrakesh.
The quake’s epicenter was in al-Haouz province — a mountainous and rural area where rescue workers have struggled to get past fallen debris and through difficult terrain to reach victims.
Interior Ministry official Rachid El Khalfi said houses had collapsed in al-Haouz and neighboring hard-hit provinces. The military deployed air and ground forces to help in search-and-rescue efforts.
So far, few images have emerged from these communities.
The quake was felt in Marrakesh and also in Casablanca, Rabat, Fez and other cities.
The earthquake damaged buildings and sent panicked residents fleeing into the streets in search of safety in cities across Morocco.
The nearest major city affected was Marrakesh, about 45 miles northeast of the epicenter. Marrakesh’s vibrant old city, the Medina, which dates to the 9th century, is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site and draws millions of tourists annually.
When the earthquake struck, the old city’s historic walls — which have stood since the early 12th century — began to tremble, and some sections crumbled.
The sight of Marrakesh’s 12th-century-old Kutubiyya Mosque shaking terrified residents, according to videos shared on social media.
The disaster turned Marrakesh’s open squares and marketplaces into temporary refuges for residents as authorities warned that aftershocks could cause further damage.
Homes turned to mounds of dust and protruding rebar in the villages of Moulay Brahim and Amizmiz. Remnants of everyday life — cars, mattresses, window frames, children’s notebooks — lay under fallen rocks and among piles of broken concrete.
