Morocco earthquakes: Death toll and More key details

On September 8, 2023, at 23:11 DST (22:11 UTC), an earthquake with a moment magnitude of 6.8-6.9 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent) impacted Morocco’s Marrakesh-Safi region.

The epicentre of the earthquake occurred 73.4 kilometres (45.6 mi) southwest of Marrakesh, near the town of Ighil and the Oukameden ski resort in the Atlas Mountains.

It happened as a result of shallow oblique-thrust faulting beneath the mountain range. At least 2,901 deaths were reported, with the majority happening outside of Marrakesh. Damage was extensive, and historic landmarks in Marrakesh were destroyed.

This earthquake is the deadliest earthquake in Morocco since the 1960 Agadir earthquake and the second-deadliest earthquake of 2023 after the Turkey-Syria earthquake.

According to the World Health Organisation, approximately 300,000 individuals in Marrakesh and nearby areas were affected, including 100,000 children.

Tinzert has been devastated to a massive mound of rubble as a result of the earthquake. The destruction is so severe that it is impossible to identify where one house begins and another ends.

The houses there were old and traditional, made of mud and straw. They weren’t built to withstand an earthquake, and they didn’t have to be. This is the first earthquakes in this area in more than 120 years.