The most powerful earthquake in 120 years hit Morocco Friday night, killing at least 820 people as rescuers continued to dig through rubble across the countryside.
The 6.8 magnitude earthquake disrupted various villages in five provinces along the Atlas Mountain range, with most of the damage hitting the historic city of Marrakech, the tourist capital of the North African country.
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Experts predict that the death toll of the disaster will mount to the thousands in Marrakech as the medieval city was not designed to sustain such events.
“The problem is that where destructive earthquakes are rare, buildings are simply not constructed robustly enough to cope with strong ground shaking, so many collapses resulting in high casualties,” Bill McGuire, professor emeritus of geophysical and climate hazards at University College London, told NPR.
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The famous Koutoubia Mosque in Marrakech, built in the 12th century and a UNESCO World Heritage site, sustained damage, the extent of which is unclear at the time of this report.
Morocco’s interior minister reported that, on top of the current death toll, 627 people have been injured, with 205 seriously hurt.
