Morocco earthquake equal to over 30 nuclear bombs: experts

Search and rescue operations continue for people trapped under rubble on the fifth day after 7 magnitude earthquake in Talat N’Yaaqoub town of Marrakesh, Morocco on September 13, 2023 [Said Echarif/Anadolu Agency]

The strength of the earthquake that struck Morocco over the weekend is equivalent to detonating 30 nuclear bombs, similar to those dropped on Hiroshima in 1945, a geophysical and climate expert has said.

In an article published in the Sunday Times, Professor of Geophysical and Climate Hazards at University College London (UCL), Bill McGuire, pointed out that the Agadir earthquake in 1960, which claimed the lives of up to 15,000 people in the southern part of the country, may be the most famous, but another earthquake occurred in 2004, centered on the northern coast, resulted in the deaths of over 600 people.

However, neither of those matched the strength of the earthquake that measured 6.8 on the Richter scale, which struck an area 40 miles southwest of Marrakesh on Friday night, releasing the same amount of energy as 30 atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima.

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