Marrakech's famous Koutoubia Mosque, built in the 12th century, was damaged, but the extent was not immediately clear. Many wrapped themselves in blankets as they tried to sleep outside. People could be seen on state TV clustering in the streets of historic Marrakech, afraid to go back inside buildings that might still be unstable. “There’s nothing to do but pray,” said Hamza Lamghani, who lost five of his closest friends. Bodies covered with blankets lay in the health center next to a mosque as doctors pulled shards from people’s feet and treated surface wounds. Fathers sobbed into phones telling loved ones about losing their children. Rescuers worked through the night to find survivors buried in the dusty ruins.Ī tent typically used for celebrations was being erected for shelter in the square of the impoverished mountain community of Moulay Brahim, where homes made of clay and brick were largely left uninhabitable. The quake brought down walls made from stone and masonry not designed to withstand quakes, covering whole communities with rubble and leaving residents picking their way precariously through remains. The enormity of the destruction came into view in the daylight. One man said dishes and wall hangings began raining down, and people were knocked off their feet. The magnitude-6.8 quake, the biggest to hit the North African country in 120 years, sent people fleeing their homes in terror and disbelief late Friday. More than 1,000 people were killed, and the toll was expected to rise as rescuers struggled Saturday to get through boulder-strewn roads to the remote areas hit hardest. A rare, powerful earthquake struck Morocco, sending people racing from their beds into the darkened streets and toppling buildings in mountainous villages and ancient cities not built to withstand such force.
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