Friday's quake is the deadliest the North African country has experienced in 60 years, leaving scores homeless.
At least 2,122 people have died and 2,421 injured in the earthquake that hit six cities in Morocco on Friday, Aljazeera is reporting.
Friday's quake is the deadliest the North African country has experienced in 60 years, leaving scores homeless.
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the 6.8 magnitude earthquake near Oukaïmedene, Morocco, occurred due to oblique-reverse faulting at shallow depth within the Moroccan High Atlas Mountain range, roughly 75 km southeast of Marrakech.
State authorities announced three days of national mourning.
Marrakesh's old town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is reportedly badly affected. Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO's director general, in a post on the social networking platform X said, "a mission from @UNESCO went this afternoon to the medina of #Marrakech . Our Organization will support the Moroccan authorities to inventory the damage in the areas of #patrimoine & #éducation , make the buildings safe & prepare for reconstruction."
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) noted that it may take months if not years to respond to the effect of the quake fully.
World leaders including Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu have extended sympathy to Morocco.
