UAE leaders offer condolences to Morocco following the devastating earthquake
At least 632 people killed and hundreds injured in Friday's earthquake
Dubai: UAE leaders on Saturday offered their condolences to the Moroccan government and people following the devastating earthquake that struck the country.
Taking to his official X account, President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, said: “I extend my deepest condolences to my brother King Mohammed VI and the people of Morocco over the devastating earthquake that struck the country.”
“We in the UAE stand with the Kingdom of Morocco during this difficult time and wish a speedy recovery ahead to all those affected," the UAE President added.
Meanwhile, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, extended his condolences too to the Moroccan people following a devastating earthquake that the claimed the lives of at least 296 people.
Sheikh Mohammed said:” Our heartfelt condolences and sympathies with our brothers in Morocco. May Allah Almighty grant them patience and solace and bless them with safety and security.”
An earthquake of recorded magnitude 6.8 on the Richter scale shook Morocco on Friday, killing at least 296 people and damaging buildings and landmarks in a number cities, including Marrakech, according to local authorities.
The casualties occurred in provinces around the earthquake, with over 150 injuries reported so far, the Moroccan Ministry of Interior said, noting that most damages were outside urban areas.
The earthquake's epicentre was at a depth of 18.5km and occurred in the Atlas Mountains near the town of Oukaïmedene, roughly 75 kilometres southwest of Marrakech, according to the US Geological Survey.
Meanwhile, the National Institute of Geophysics of Morocco recorded the earthquake's magnitude at 7.