A moderate earthquake struck Morocco’s Khénifra Province on Friday afternoon, with tremors lightly felt across a wide region, but no damage or aftershocks were reported, authorities said.
The quake, which had its epicenter near the rural commune of Sbit Ait Rhou in Khénifra, measured 3.8 on the Richter scale, according to Nasser Jabour, director of the National Institute of Geophysics.
“It was an isolated seismic event of moderate strength,” Jabour told the Moroccan news outlet Hespress, noting that the tremor was felt across an area spanning 100 to 120 kilometers, including the towns of Oulmes, Moulay Bouazza, and the city of Khemisset.
The earthquake occurred at 12:16:43 p.m. local time (GMT+1), and no aftershocks were recorded in the hour that followed, Jabour confirmed. He reassured residents that no immediate risk or seismic sequence appeared to be underway.
The National Institute of Geophysics’ monitoring stations detected the quake at latitude 33.360°N and longitude 6.357°W, based on official data released in a preliminary bulletin.
While international seismic monitoring websites reported the quake at a stronger 4.5 magnitude, Jabour explained that the institute’s readings are more accurate due to the proximity of Morocco’s seismic stations, compared to those in Spain or other countries.
One global earthquake alert app categorized the quake as a “moderate tremor with noticeable shaking of objects indoors”, with some reports placing the epicenter in Sidi Abou, east of Rommani in Khemisset Province.
No injuries or material damage have been reported.
add your comment
Terms of publication : Not to offend the writer, people, sacred things, or attack religions or the divine self, and refrain from racist incitement and insults.