Morocco earthquake death toll reaches above 2000

The deadliest earthquake that shook Morocco on Friday has taken more than 2000 lives leaving similar number of people injured, international media reported.

The 6.8 magnitude earthquake, with epicenter in the High Atlas Mountains, 71km south-west of Marrakesh, is the biggest to hit the North African country in 120 years, according to the news agencies.

The devastation gripped each town along the High Atlas’ steep and winding switchbacks in similar ways: homes folding in on themselves and mothers and fathers crying as boys and helmet-clad police carried the dead through the streets, said Associated Press.

‘The problem is that where destructive earthquakes are rare, buildings are simply not constructed robustly enough to cope with strong ground shaking, so many collapse, resulting in high casualties,’ said Bill McGuire, professor emeritus of geophysical and climate hazards at University College London, Associated Press reported.