According to a statement released by the Moroccan Institute of Geophysics, a magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck the region of Al Hoceima in northern Morocco around 9:12 a.m. local time (08:12 a.m. GMT) on Saturday.
The town of Nekkour, which is located in the province of Al Hoceima, was at first thought to be the epicentre of the earthquake. Nekkour is both a rural commune and a small town.
An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.3 struck off the coast of Al Hoceima’s province earlier today, according to an announcement made by Morocco’s National Institute of Geophysics (ING).
The ING said that the earthquake occurred at 9 hr, 12 min, and 29 sec local time (GMT+1) and that its epicentre was situated near Nekkour, a tiny hamlet and rural commune in the province of Al Hoceima.
The epicentre of the earthquake was located at a depth of 21 kilometers, 34.996 degrees north latitude, and 3.817 degrees west longitude.
Numerous earthquakes take place in the northern region of Morocco on an annual basis. In the year 2021, the province of Al Hoceima, in particular, was hit by at least four earthquakes within the span of a single week.
According to a report by the National Institute of Geophysics of Morocco, the four earthquakes each registered a magnitude of between 3.8 and 4.7 on the Richter scale.
The area just off the shore of Driouch province was where the epicentre of the four earthquakes was found.
In 2004, a severe natural disaster ravaged Al Hoceima province. The earthquake had far-reaching ramifications, and it cost the country millions of dirhams to bring normalcy back to the region after it had been disrupted.
It was responsible for the deaths of approximately 631 people, injuries to almost 1000 more, and the destruction of over 1000 homes.
The epicentre of the earthquake was 21 kilometres below the surface.