A screenshot from Marrakech following the quake from Morocco s state-owned TV channel Al-Oula The First Channel as it was transferring on air the impact of the quake on the old city. Photo: Morocco s Al-Oula TV channel.
In an official statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday, Egypt expressed its deepest condolences to the victims of the earthquake that struck multiple regions and cities in Morocco late Friday.
“Egypt reaffirms its unwavering solidarity with the Kingdom of Morocco, both its government and its people, as they grapple with the devastating consequences of this tragic and painful incident,” the statement added.
The statement also wished a speedy recovery to all the injured.
According to the Moroccan government, the number of people killed by the earthquake has exceeded 600, while the number of injured is over 300.
The earthquake also destroyed vast parts of Marrakech, a renowned tourist destination with a population of around 840,000.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said that the earthquake was the strongest tremor to hit that part of the North African nation in more than a century.
The earthquake struck in Morocco's High Atlas Mountain range, approximately 72 kilometres southwest of Marrakech, shortly after 11 pm local time at a relatively shallow depth of 18.5 kilometers, according to the USGS.
Egypt’s National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics (NRIAG) reported on Saturday that their monitoring stations were even able to detect the quake in Egypt, thousands of kilometres away.
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