Watch: Video shows earthquake causing devastation in Morocco

Around 900 people have lost their lives in the deadly 6.8 magnitude earthquake that rocked central Morocco late Friday.

The death toll, which was initially hovering in double digits, started rising exponentially throughout the day, and the casualties breached past 650 withina few hours.

The tremors were so strong that it was felt in neighbouring Algeria and all the way up to Portugal.

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The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said that this was the strongest tremor to hit that part of the North African nation in more than a century.

Videos going viral on social media showed the moment the tremors jolted the city and people ran for safety.

BREAKING: 6.8 magnitude earthquake strikes Morocco, killing over 300 people.

My heart goes out to all those affected. Stay strong. 🇲🇦🙏 #Morocco pic.twitter.com/c2u56EA6DJ — Hananya Naftali (@HananyaNaftali) September 9, 2023

In a 28-second clip, people can be seen running as the ground began shaking. Soon, buildings started falling too.

A terrifying moment of a collapse captured by a security camera#Maroc #moroccoearthquake #Morocco #earthquakemorocco #earthquake pic.twitter.com/9aeA7XsmoS — Kinetik (@KinetikNews) September 9, 2023

Morocco earthquake pic.twitter.com/Krv4awedBB — Ｎｅｒｄｙ 🅰🅳🅳🅸🅲🆃 (@Nerdy_Addict) September 8, 2023

Residents of Marrakech, the nearest major city to the epicentre, said some buildings had collapsed in the old city, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and local television showed pictures of a fallen mosque minaret with rubble lying on smashed cars.

Morocco's geophysical centre said the quake struck in the Ighil area of the High Atlas with a magnitude of 7.2.

The US Geological Survey put the quake's magnitude at 6.8 and said it was at a relatively shallow depth of 18.5 km (11.5 miles).

Meanwhile, Morocco's civil protection forces early on Saturday morning were preparing truck loads of supplies from a centre in Arjaat to be sent to quake zones.

Morocco often experiences earthquakes as it lies on the Azores-Gibraltar fault line, which separates the African and Eurasian tectonic plates.

The region is considered an active earthquake zone, with cities along the northern coast, such as Al Hoceima, experiencing seismic activity regularly.

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