A 6.9-magnitude earthquake hit Morocco late on Friday, 77 kilometers (48 miles) southwest of the city of Marrakesh with a population of 839,000 people.
The number of victims of the quake has reached 1,037, with another 1,204 people injured, according to local television, citing data from the Moroccan Interior Ministry. Earlier, it was reported that the death toll from the quake stood at 820, with another 672 people injured.
The European-Mediterranean Seismological Center (EMSC) reported that the 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck in Morocco almost 80 kilometers from Marrakesh late on Friday.
The quake occurred on the western edge of the Alpine-Himalayan belt that runs through Morocco, Spain, Italy, Greece, Afghanistan and India.
Algeria has decided to open its airspace for flights delivering humanitarian aid to Morocco and carrying people injured in the country’s earthquake, according to the office of Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.
The Algerian authorities expressed their full readiness to provide humanitarian aid and all material and human capacities in solidarity with the Moroccan people, the statement from the president’s office reads.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed condolences to King of Morocco Mohammed VI over the tragic consequences of the devastating earthquake, according to a telegram published on the Kremlin’s website.
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday expressed his condolences to Morocco’s King Mohammed VI over the earthquake, which killed and injured hundreds of people.
The British regime in London is ready to provide Morocco with the necessary assistance following the massive earthquake, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Saturday.
Algeria expressed its condolences to the Moroccans affected by the devastating earthquake in the south of the kingdom and to the families of the victims, according to a communique of the Foreign Ministry of the North African country.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also expressed his condolences over the natural disaster in the African country. The Spanish Foreign Ministry also sent its condolences to Morocco.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also offered his condolences to the people of Morocco.
Meanwhile, hundreds of people have been lining up in Morocco to donate blood for those injured in the devastating earthquake.
Sputnik / ABC Flash Point News 2023.
RIP. Sadly it’s probably much more than that… like the fire in Maui, Hawaii, where the American PR machine stopped counting victims before they reached 100, while many more than 1000 have died…