Africa

BREAKING: At least 630 dead as powerful earthquake hits Morocco

Published

2 years ago

September 9, 2023

BREAKING: At least 630 dead as powerful earthquake hits Morocco

A magnitude 6.8 earthquake has hit Morocco, killing at least 630 people, injuring more than 320, damaging buildings and sending terrified residents fleeing their homes into the streets for safety.

Morocco’s state television reported the doubling of the death toll on Saturday morning from overnight, citing the Ministry of Interior. Of those injured, 51 were in a critical condition.

Residents of Marrakesh, the nearest big city to the epicentre, said some buildings collapsed in the old city, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Local television showed images of a fallen mosque minaret with rubble lying on smashed cars.

The earthquake hit shortly after 11pm local time (22:00 GMT) on Friday evening, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

The USGS estimates the epicentre of the earthquake occurred in the Atlas Mountains, some 75km (44 miles) from Marrakesh, the fourth largest city in the country.

Search teams frantically scoured collapsed buildings for those trapped.

“The Royal Armed Forces, local authorities, security services and civil protection … continue to mobilise and harness all means and capabilities in order to intervene, provide the necessary assistance, and assess the damage,” the interior ministry said.

Journalist Noureddine Bazine from Marrakesh described the situation as an “horrific night”.

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“It was chaos the moment the earthquake happened, we’re still try to process what happened because it was so sudden,” she told Al Jazeera. “In Marrakesh, the most damage was in the old city because the buildings are prone to collapse because of their fragile state.”

Eid al-Tarazi, a professor of seismology in Jordan, told Al Jazeera “hundreds of aftershocks could happen”.

“People will need to stay away from the buildings that are not strong because they are prone to collapse. We expect the aftershocks could continue for three to four weeks,” he said.

Local media reported roads leading to the mountain region around the epicentre were jammed with vehicles and blocked with collapsed rocks, slowing rescue efforts.

Abderrahim Ait Daoud, the head of a town in the area, told the Moroccan news site 2M that several homes nearby had partly or totally collapsed, and electricity and roads were cut off in some places.

He also said authorities were working to clear roads in al-Haouz province to allow passage for ambulances and aid to populations affected. Large distances between mountain villages mean it will take time to learn the full extent of the damage, he added.

Moroccans posted videos showing buildings reduced to rubble and dust, and parts of the famous red walls that surround the old city in Marrakesh damaged.

Tourists and others posted videos of people screaming and evacuating restaurants in the city. Shocked residents in Marrakesh and Casablanca fled out of buildings and onto the streets.

One Marrakesh resident, Brahim Himmi, said he spotted ambulances leaving the city’s historic old town. He also said building facades had been damaged as the earth shook.

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While earthquakes in the region are “uncommon but not unexpected”, one of this magnitude has not been seen in the immediate area in more than 120 years.

“Since 1900, there have been no earthquakes M6 [magnitude 6] or larger within 500km of this earthquake, and only nine M5 [magnitude 5] and larger,” the USGS said on its website.

Most of those previous earthquakes occurred further to the east as well, the agency added.

Friday evening’s earthquake was a relatively shallow one, occurring at a depth of 18.5km (11.5 miles). The USGS explained that “oblique-reverse faulting” in the Atlas Mountains was the cause of the earthquake.

The last major earthquake to strike Morocco occurred in 2004, killing more than 600 people. That temblor, dubbed the al-Hoceima earthquake, was positioned on an active plate boundary on the country’s northernmost coast, bordering the western Mediterranean Sea. It clocked in at a magnitude of 6.3.

An even larger earthquake struck neighbouring Algeria in 1980. Known as the el-Asnam earthquake, the magnitude 7.3 event was the strongest seismic activity the region had seen in centuries. Also originating in the Atlas Mountain range, it levelled houses, leaving 300,000 people on the street and at least 2,600 people dead.

Messages of support began to roll in from around the world on Saturday.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz posted condolences on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, currently hosting the Group of 20 summit of the world’s largest economies, wrote, “India is ready to offer all possible assistance to Morocco in this difficult time.”

A UN spokesperson said “the United Nations is ready to assist the government of Morocco in its efforts to assist the impacted population”.

BREAKING: At least 630 dead as powerful earthquake hits Morocco

aljazeera

Related Topics:Earthquake Featured Morocco

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Fuel hits N8,000/litre in Niger, country seeks help from Nigeria

Published

1 week ago

March 16, 2025

Trends Admin

Fuel hits N8,000/litre in Niger, country seeks help from Nigeria

With the fuel crisis bedevilling the Republic of Niger, some of its military officials have visited Abuja to seek support from Nigeria to tackle the shortage of Premium Motor Spirit in the country.

It was gathered that the delegation successfully got the approval for 300 trucks of fuel from the Nigerian government.

Trouble started for Niger -which has been reliant on a Chinese refinery – after the refinery was shut down due to some misunderstanding with the supplier.

This led to Niger turning to Nigeria for help to ameliorate the fuel shortage experienced by the country.

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Officials from the Nigerian government noted that the deal was approved with the hope of using it as a bargaining tool with Niger.

“We do not want to blow our trumpet. Rather, we want to use it as a bargaining chip for negotiation, as we continue to engage with them to bring them back to ECOWAS.

“Let them get more from us. I am confident that gradually they will come back to ECOWAS because they do not have enough resources to import food to sustain their citizens,” the official said while pleading anonymity.

Sources stated that fuel prices in Niger were hitting N8,000 per litre

However, some transborder businessmen have attributed the fuel scarcity in Niger to the lingering relationship between the country and Nigeria.

They noted that in some cross-border towns to Niger, fuel is being sold for between 1,200 CFA and N3,500 (N2,500 and N8,500).

Fuel hits N8,000/litre in Niger, country seeks help from Nigeria

Africa

ECOWAS activates standby force against insurgency

Published

2 weeks ago

March 12, 2025

Trends Admin

ECOWAS activates standby force against insurgency

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has activated its Standby Force to curb terrorism and other transborder crimes in the subregion.

The Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru, who disclosed this in Abuja on Tuesday at the Forty-third ordinary meeting of ECOWAS Committee Chiefs of Defence Staff said the economic growth of the region is dependent on stable peace.

The minister added that there is a need for members of ECOWAS to close ranks against all forms of threats against the region.

On January 29, 2025, ECOWAS recognised the exit of three of its former members Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger Republic upon the expiration of a one-year notice period.

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However, in “the spirit of regional solidarity”, ECOWAS asked its member countries to still recognise the national passports of the three exiting countries bearing the ECOWAS logo until further notice.

Their departure from the bloc has fractured the region and is leaving the ECOWAS grouping with an uncertain future.

The three junta-led countries formally notified ECOWAS of their plan for an “immediate” withdrawal in January 2024, citing the organisation’s excessive dependence on France in particular.

Paris has become the common enemy of the three juntas, which now favour partnerships with countries such as Russia, Turkey and Iran.

However, ECOWAS required one year’s notice for the departure to be effective — that deadline falls on January 29, 2025.

The three Sahelian countries have teamed up to form a separate confederation called the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).

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Africa

Policewoman arrested for murder of husband, female friend

Published

2 weeks ago

March 11, 2025

Trends Admin

Nyiko Nyathi

Policewoman arrested for murder of husband, female friend

A 42-year-old police sergeant, Nyiko Nyathi was arrested in connection with the kidnapping and brutal murder of her husband and his ‘female friend’ in Mpumalanga, South Africa.

The officer handed herself over to authorities at Bushbuckridge police station, according to Mpumalanga provincial police spokesperson, Brigadier Donald Mdhluli.

She appeared before the Bushbuckridge Magistrate’s Court on Monday, March 10, 2025, facing charges for the m8rder of her husband and another woman.

“According to information, in February 2024, Lawrence Alba Mashego, 44, was reportedly attacked by a group of armed men at his house in Boikhutsong Trust in Bushbuckridge. The armed men robbed him of his Toyota Quantum and Ford Escort, then he got kidnapped,” said Mdhluli.

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“The two vehicles were reportedly used by the armed suspects as a mode of transport to reach a certain house in Zoeknog. At the house, they found Victoria Lebyane, 44, Mashego’s female friend, in possession of Mashego’s bank cards.”

Lebyane was then robbed of about R4,000 cash as well as some bank cards belonging to Mashego. After that, Mashego and Lebyane were m8rdered by the assailants.

“The matter was probed by the men and women in blue, where a thorough investigation was carried out, leading to the arrest of four suspects in connection with the incident. One of the suspects then pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 77 years imprisonment,” said Mdhluli.

As the police intensified their investigations, the police sergeant was implicated in the m8rder of her husband Mashego, and Lebyane.

Following the court appearance on Monday, the case was postponed to Wednesday, for a formal bail application.

Meanwhile, acting provincial commissioner of police in Mpumalanga, Major General Zeph Mkhwanazi, has welcomed Nyathi’s arrest.

He emphasised that the law will take its course on anyone suspected to have committed crime, regardless of their social status or position.

“The SAPS remains resolute to be intolerant to any criminality within our ranks,” said Mkhwanazi.