• Morocco Earthquake Update: Death toll climbs to over 2,000; Royal office announces three days of mourning

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    Morocco Earthquake Update: Death toll climbs to over 2,000; Royal office announces three days of mourning
    Morocco has announced three days of national mourning on September 10 following a severe earthquake that killed over 2,000 people...

    Digital Desk: Morocco's government reported that 2,000 people died and 329 were injured in a violent earthquake, more than twice the previous toll. 

    Notably, the Moroccans recorded videos of houses reduced to rubble and dust, as well as damage to the famed red walls that surround the old city of Marrakech, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

    Furthermore, Morocco has announced three days of national mourning on September 10 following a severe earthquake that killed over 2,000 people.

    During the national mourning period, flags will be flown at half-mast in all public buildings, according to a statement issued by the Royal Office after Moroccan King Mohammed VI presided over a meeting on the accident.

    According to the US Geological Survey, a 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck Morocco on Friday at 11:11 p.m. local time (2211 GMT) at a depth of 18.5 km. The earthquake's epicentre was near the village of Ighil in Al Haouz Province, some 70 km southwest of Marrakesh.

    According to the most recent information from the country's Interior Ministry on Saturday, the quake killed 2,012 people and injured 2,059, with 1,404 of them in critical condition.

    Morocco has not suffered a calamity of this magnitude since a 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck the port city of Al Hoceima in 2004, killing over 630 people.

    According to Moroccan official television, the majority of deaths in the earthquake came from distant and inaccessible mountainous regions near the epicentre, with damaged roads complicating rescue attempts even further.