Mapping the Damage from the Earthquake in Morocco

An earthquake, which had a magnitude of at least 6.8, struck Morocco on Friday night, killing more than 1,000 people and devastating a region where many vulnerable buildings were unable to withstand the shaking.

The epicenter was about 35 miles west of Oukaimeden, a popular ski resort in the High Atlas Mountains, according to the United States Geological Survey. Rubble filled alleyways in Marrakesh, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and houses were flattened in villages in the countryside.

The quake was the strongest to hit the area in more than a century.

Around 1.8 million people live in the area that experienced strong shaking, where the likelihood of damage is highest, according to a New York Times analysis of shake intensity data from the U.S. Geological Survey and population density data from WorldPop. About 3 million more people experienced moderate shaking.

Marrakesh, the largest city in the zone that experienced strong shaking, has one of the country’s most densely populated medinas, ancient maze-like neighborhoods at the center of many Moroccan cities.

Although much of southern Morocco, where the quake struck, is rural, the region’s cities and towns are often very densely populated.