Suara.com – Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) expressed his deep condolences to the people of Morocco after being rocked by a powerful earthquake of magnitude (M) 6.9 on Friday (8/9/2023) evening local time.
“I extend my deepest condolences to the people of Morocco after the tragic earthquake,” said President Jokowi via his official account on the social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter), monitored in Newsdelivers.com, Saturday (9/9/2023) evening.
President Jokowi said that the thoughts and prayers of the Indonesian people are with the victims, the victims’ families, and all parties affected by the earthquake disaster.
A powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 6.9 rocked Morocco on Friday (8/9) at 23.14 evening local time. The areas affected by the earthquake are Al-Houz, Marrakech, Ouarzazate, Azilal, Chichaoua and Taroudant provinces.
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Based on data from the Moroccan Ministry of Interior as of Saturday, as many as 820 people were killed and 672 others were injured due to the earthquake.
The earthquake was the strongest to hit the North African country in the last century, Morocco’s National Geophysical Institute said.
Quoted from the Anadolu report, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) recorded that the epicenter of the earthquake was 75 kilometers southeast of Marrakesh at a depth of 18.5 km.
A number of videos circulating on social media captured the conditions immediately after the earthquake and showed residents spilling onto the streets.
A particularly dire situation is said to have occurred in the Marrakesh region where many buildings reportedly collapsed and residents were trapped under the rubble.
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Local media said that several buildings, including the famous red walls that surround the old city in Marrakech and have UNESCO World Heritage status, were also damaged.
The Royal Moroccan Armed Forces appealed to residents to remain alert and direct people to safe areas to avoid aftershocks. (Source: Antara)