“I thought it was a big truck passing in the street, and then, when I saw the bedside table shaking, I realized it was an earthquake”, confides Mouna, a mother from Casablanca. Like thousands of residents of the city, following the powerful earthquake which shook the center of Morocco, shortly after 11 p.m., Friday September 8, she took refuge in the street, with her two children. With neighbors, they settled on a vacant lot, near Anfa Boulevard, in the city center.
The earthquake that hit Casablanca was short and of less intensity. No casualties have been reported. ” Do not panic “, says, relieved, a woman who says she received reassuring information on WhatsApp. After half an hour, some decide to go home. It’s almost midnight, the wasteland is emptying. No one suspects the extent of the human toll which will be announced in a few hours. Although the earthquake was felt throughout Morocco, its epicenter was nearly four hours’ drive from Casablanca, in the commune of Ighil, south of Marrakech.