Morocco Earthquake Damages UNESCO Heritage Sites
A 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck Morocco's Marrakesh-Safi region on Friday, killing at least 2,681 people as of Monday, making it the deadliest since the 1960 Agadir earthquake. The epicenter was 71 km southwest of Marrakech, 18.5 km deep in the High Atlas Mountains. UNESCO's Eric Falt noted damage is more significant than expected. Affected UNESCO sites include Marrakech's medieval medina (inscribed 1985), Koutoubia Mosque's cracked minaret, Kharbouch Mosque's destroyed minaret in Jemaa El Fnaa Square, historic city walls, and the Jewish quarter Mellah. The 12th-century Tinmel Mosque near the epicenter also suffered minaret and wall collapses. UNESCO will send an assessment team.
Key facts
- 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck Marrakesh-Safi region
- At least 2,681 dead as of Monday
- Deadliest since 1960 Agadir earthquake (12,000-15,000 dead)
- Epicenter 71 km southwest of Marrakech, depth 18.5 km
- UNESCO World Heritage sites damaged: Marrakech medina, Koutoubia Mosque, Kharbouch Mosque, city walls, Mellah
- Tinmel Mosque (12th century) damaged near epicenter
- UNESCO to send assessment team
- Eric Falt: damage more significant than expected
Entities
Institutions
- UNESCO
- UNESCO Office for the Maghreb
- BBC News
Locations
- Morocco
- Marrakesh-Safi region
- High Atlas Mountains
- Marrakech
- Jemaa El Fnaa Square
- Mellah
- Agadir