One child dead in northern Morocco following earthquake

A further four people were injured in al-Hoceima as a major earthquake rocked the Mediterranean.

2 min read

25 January, 2016

Damage was limited after the quake hit Morocco, Gibraltar and Melilla [Getty]

An eight-year-old child died on Monday morning after an earthquake of magnitude 6.3 struck the Mediterranean about 60km north of the Moroccan city of al-Hoceima.

A further four people - from Imzouren and Boukidan villages - were injured, reported Morocco World News.

In the village of Bani Chiker, on the outskirts of Nador, some buildings were cracked and the headquarters of the local authority collapsed.

According to the United States Geological Survey, the quake hit in the early hours of Monday and was followed by six smaller aftershocks, ranging from 4.6 to 5.3 on the Richter scale.

The quake was also felt in southern Spain and in the Strait of Gibraltar, and the tremors and aftershocks rippled through the cities of Malaga, Cordoba, Seville and Granada.

Spanish state TV showed footage of people running panicked in coastal cities in southern Spain. In the Spanish enclave of Melilla, as many as 200 houses were damaged.


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Videos takes by Rupty, RT's video outlet, showed the streets of Melilla littered with debris after the quake. Power is being restored in the area after it suffered from blackouts.

Schools have been closed as a precautionary measure to allow inspectors to check whether any of the buildings have suffered structural damage.

The epicentre of the earthquake was located 41km off the coast of al-Hoceima and was felt in Fez, Morocco's second most populous city after Casablanca, as well as in Taza.

In its initial assessment of the quake, the USGS said there was a low likelihood of casualties and damage. This would come as welcome news to the residents of al-Hoceima. In 2004, the city was hit by a 6.4 magnitude earthquake leaving 630 people dead.