MARRAKECH, Morocco – A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck the African nation of Morocco just after 10 p.m. local time on Friday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The USGS said the earthquake hit about 35 miles west of the town of Oukaïmedene, which lies south of Marrakech. The epicenter is about 11.5 miles underground in the Moroccan High Atlas Mountains.
Videos posted online show debris fallen from buildings and littering pathways, while others show what appear to be entire structures that had collapsed.
According to Reuters, there were no immediate reports of casualties but videos showed significant damage.
Strong earthquakes in the region are uncommon, but not unexpected, according to the USGS. Since 1900, there have been less than half a dozen magnitude 5 or larger quakes.
They added that this earthquake occurred within the Africa Plate, which is located about 340 miles south of the plate boundary between the Africa and Eurasia plates.