Powerful 6.8-Magnitude Earthquake Shakes Morocco, Claiming Nearly 300 Lives

A powerful 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck Morocco Friday night,

killing nearly 300 people and damaging buildings in the historic city of Marrakech in what the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said was the strongest tremor to hit that part

The quake struck in Morocco’s High Atlas mountain range shortly after 11 p.m. local time at the relatively shallow depth of 18.5 kilometers (11.4 miles),

USGS said, with the epicenter located about 72 kilometers (44.7 miles) southwest of Marrakech, a city of some 840,000 people and a popular tourist destination. At least 296 people