A rare, powerful earthquake struck Morocco late Friday night, killing more than 1,000 people and damaging buildings from villages in the Atlas Mountains to the historic city of Marrakech
. The full toll was not known as rescuers struggled to get through boulder-strewn roads to the remote mountain villages hit hardest.
"The problem is that where destructive earthquakes are rare, buildings are simply not constructed robustly enough to cope with strong ground shaking, so many collapse resulting in high casualties," said Bill McGuire, professor emeritus of geophysical and climate hazards at University College London. "I would expect the final death toll to climb into the thousands once more is known.
Ayoub Toudite said he had been working out with friends at the gym when "we felt a huge shake like it was doomsday." In 10 seconds, he said, everything was gone. The Moroccan military deployed aircraft, helicopters and drones and emergency services mobilized aid efforts to the areas hit by damages, but roads leading to the mountain region around the epicenter were jammed with vehicles and blocked with collapsed rocks, slowing rescue efforts. Trucks loaded with blankets, camp cots and lighting equipment were trying to region that hard-hit area, the official news agency MAP reported.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake had a preliminary magnitude of 6.8 when it hit at 11:11 p.m. , with shaking that lasted several seconds. The U.S. agency reported a magnitude 4.9 aftershock hit 19 minutes later.
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