Earthquake Hits Agadir

This morning Agadir was shaken by a low intensity magnitude earthquake. The earthquake, measuring 4.5 degrees on the Richter scale, shook the outskirts of Agadir but first reports say there was no material damage and no injuries

The quake, which only lasted for three seconds, was reportedly felt by residents of Agadir’s Chtouka Ait Baha region, while the government-run National Institute of Geophysics issued a statement putting the earthquake’s epicentre in the region of Ait Amira.

According to local media, residents of the area vacated their homes on Monday morning after feeling the tremors, fearing something as destructive as Agadir's 1960 earthquake.

Agadir 1960

The 1960 Agadir earthquake occurred on the 29th of February at 23:40 Western European Time (UTC+00:00). Despite the earthquake's moderate magnitude of 5.7, its maximum perceived intensity was X (Extreme) on the Mercalli intensity scale. Between 12,000 and 15,000 people (about a third of the city's population of the time) were killed and another 12,000 injured with at least 35,000 people left homeless, making it the most destructive and deadliest earthquake in Moroccan history. Particularly hard hit was the Talbordjt area. The earthquake's shallow focus, close proximity to the port city of Agadir, and unsatisfactory construction methods were all reasons declared by earthquake engineers and seismologists as to why it was so destructive.

In 2014, Agadir was hit by a similar low-intensity earthquake measuring 5.7 on the Richter scale.

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