US Geological Survey said that an earthquake of 6.8 magnitude jolted southwest of Marrakesh, Morocco Friday, triggering chaos and panic among the citizens as the shaking was so potent that people ran out of buildings.
The earthquake hit 44 miles (71 kilometers) southwest of Marrakesh at a depth of 18.5 kilometers at 11:11pm local time (2211 GMT).
USGS's PAGER system, which provides preliminary assessments on the impact of earthquakes, issued an orange alert for economic losses, estimating significant damage is likely, and a yellow alert for shaking-related fatalities, indicating some casualties are possible.
USGS said that "the population in this region lives in structures that are highly vulnerable to earthquake shaking."
Morocco experiences frequent earthquakes in its northern region due to its position between the African and Eurasian plates.
USGS said that "the population in this region lives in structures that are highly vulnerable to earthquake shaking."
There were no immediate reports of casualties.
Internet connectivity was disrupted in Marrakesh due to power cuts in the region, according to global internet monitor NetBlocks.
Several videos surfaced on social media showing the earthquake unravelling with people rushing hurriedly from the buildings and residential structures.
In 2004, at least 628 people were killed and 926 injured when a quake hit Al Hoceima in northeastern Morocco.
The 1980, 7.3-magnitude El Asnam earthquake in neighboring Algeria was one of the largest and most destructive earthquakes in recent history. It killed 2,500 people and left at least 300,000 homeless.