A rare, powerful earthquake struck Morocco, sending people racing from their beds into the streets and toppling buildings in mountainous villages and ancient cities not built to withstand such force.
More than 1,000 people were killed, and the toll was expected to rise as rescuers struggled Saturday to reach hard-hit remote areas where the dead were buried even as desperate efforts were underway to save those trapped.
The magnitude-6.8 quake, the biggest to hit the North African country in 120 years, sent people fleeing their homes in terror and disbelief late Friday.
Here’s a look at the deadliest earthquakes over the past 25 years:
September 8, 2023: In Morocco, a magnitude 6.8 temblor killed more than 1,000 people.
February 6, 2023: In Turkey and Syria, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake killed more than 21,600 people.
April 25, 2015: In Nepal, more than 8,800 people were killed by a magnitude 7.8 earthquake.
March 11, 2011: A magnitude 9.0 quake off the northeast coast of Japan triggered a tsunami, killing more than 18,400 people.
January 12, 2010: In Haiti, over 100,000 people were killed by a magnitude 7.0 quake. The government estimated a staggering 316,000 dead, but the scale of the destruction made an accurate count impossible.
May 12, 2008: A magnitude 7.9 quake struck eastern Sichuan in China, resulting in more than 87,500 deaths.
May 27, 2006: More than 5,700 people died when a magnitude 6.3 quake hit Indonesia’s Java island.
October 8, 2005: A magnitude 7.6 earthquake killed over 80,000 people in Pakistan’s Kashmir region.
December 26, 2004: A magnitude 9.1 quake in Indonesia triggered an Indian Ocean tsunami, killing about 230,000 people in a dozen countries.
December 26, 2003: A magnitude 6.6 earthquake hit southeastern Iran, causing more than 20,000 deaths.
January 26, 2001: A magnitude 7.6 quake struck Gujarat in India, killing as many as 20,000 people.
August 17, 1999: A magnitude 7.6 earthquake hit Izmit, Turkey, killing about 18,000 people.
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