The 10 worst earthquakes in the history of Morocco

The 10 worst earthquakes in the history of the State of Morocco : Moroccan lands, especially the northern regions, are located near the boundary between the Eurasian and African plates, where the Gibraltar fault is located.

This fault has been responsible for the worst earthquakes to hit northwest Africa and southwest Europe, including the 1761 Lisbon earthquake, considered the worst earthquake in history.

Below we take a quick look at the worst earthquakes in Morocco's history.

The worst earthquake in the history of Morocco

The worst earthquake in the modern history of the Kingdom is the earthquake in Agadir in 1960, which killed more than 15,000 people, and its magnitude was 5.7 on the Richter scale.

The earthquake left 35,000 people homeless, almost all of the city's population in that period, and some neighborhoods and areas were completely destroyed, such as the Talborjt area.

In all, property losses were estimated at $290 million.

The earthquake struck the city on February 29, 1960, 20 minutes before midnight, and although it was not the strongest in the history of Morocco, it was the most destructive.

That same year, an earthquake occurred in Chile, with a magnitude of 9.5 on the Richter scale, twice as strong as the Agadir earthquake, however, killing only 2,000 people, seven times less than the victims of the Moroccan city.

Al Hoceima earthquake

The 2004 Al Hoceima earthquake is the worst earthquake in Morocco during the twenty-first century, and the fourth in the Kingdom's history.

The Al Hoceima earthquake occurred on February 24, 2004 near the northern coasts of the Mediterranean Sea in the Rif region.

The earthquake measured 6.3 on the Richter scale, and the number of human losses ranged from 600 to 700 people.

The earthquake had several aftershocks that caused the collapse of weak buildings affected by the first earthquake, and made most of the city's residents sleep for several weeks in small camps near their homes.

The same thing happened with the residents of many cities and regions near Al Hoceima, including the city of Nador, 126 kilometers to the east.