In a chilling prelude to a devastating earthquake, mysterious blue lights illuminated the sky above a city in Morocco. The 6.8-magnitude tremor, which has tragically taken thousands of lives, occurred southwest of Marrakesh in the Atlas Mountains at approximately 11 p.m. local time on Friday. The quake’s impact was so profound that it was felt in distant locations, including Portugal and Algeria.
Such a powerful earthquake has not been recorded in Morocco and its neighboring regions for over a century, as stated by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Notably, the affected area in western Morocco is not typically susceptible to frequent seismic activity.
According to the most recent information reported by state media, the tragic toll of the recent disaster has claimed over 2,600 lives, with an additional 2,500 individuals sustaining injuries as of Monday. Authorities have issued a somber warning that the number of casualties is likely to rise further. The rescue operations have been severely hindered by the fact that a significant portion of the devastation has occurred in remote mountainous regions.
Notably, the earthquake has also left its mark on the historic heart of Marrakesh, an iconic UNESCO World Heritage Site and a cherished destination for tourists, causing significant damage.
An intriguing video has surfaced on social media, purportedly captured by a surveillance camera in the city of Agadir. The footage displays peculiar blue flashes illuminating the night sky just as the earthquake strikes. This video was shared by several individuals, including Eyad Alhamoud, a Saudi-based influencer. Alhamoud disclosed that the video was sent to him by a resident of Agadir, situated within the affected area, and was recorded by a surveillance camera on their residence.
In his post on X (formerly Twitter), Alhamoud expressed his bewilderment, stating, “Mysterious blue flashes of light appeared on the horizon, and no one knew what they were. Does anyone have an explanation?” It’s worth noting that this is not the first instance of enigmatic lights being associated with earthquakes. These luminous aerial phenomena, collectively termed “earthquake lights” (EQL) by the US Geological Survey (USGS), have been reported during recent earthquakes in Mexico and Turkey-Syria.
The origins of earthquake lights have long confounded experts, and a consensus on their causes remains elusive. Geophysicists have proposed various explanations, but significant debate surrounds these theories. As per the USGS, “Geophysicists differ on the extent to which they think that individual reports of unusual lighting near the time and epicenter of an earthquake actually represent EQL. Some doubt that any of the reports constitute solid evidence for EQL, whereas others think that at least some reports plausibly correspond to EQL.”
Regarding the recent video from Morocco, an account on X dedicated to debunking UFO sightings and “sky anomalies” provided a more mundane explanation. The ufoofinterest.org account addressed the video in response to someone sharing it, stating, “That blue flash is caused by a transformer explosion, as reported many times during these events,” debunking any extraterrestrial or supernatural theories.