Morocco quake kills at least 296 people

Residents take shelter ouside at a square following an earthquake in Marrakesh on September 9, 2023. Nearly 300 people were killed after a powerful earthquake rattled Morocco on September 8 night, according to a preliminary government count, with Marrakesh residents reporting “unbearable” screams followed the 6.8-magnitude quake.
Fadel SENNA / AFP

A powerful earthquake shook Morocco late Friday and killed nearly 300 people, according to a preliminary government count, with terrified residents fleeing their homes in the middle of the night.

The 6.8-magnitude quake struck 72 kilometres (45 miles) southwest of tourist hotspot Marrakesh at 11:11 pm (2211 GMT), the US Geological Survey reported.

Strong tremors were also felt in the coastal cities of Rabat, Casablanca and Essaouira.

“We felt a very violent tremor, and I realised it was an earthquake,” Abdelhak El Amrani, a…