What would happen if a massive earthquake similar to the one that struck Morocco last Friday also hit Metro Manila?

According to Phivolcs Director Teresito Bacolcol, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake in Metro Manila would leave at least 34,000 fatalities and 114,000 injured in case the so-called ''The Big One'' occurs.

"The West Valley Fault is capable of generating a magnitude 7.2 earthquake and based [on the study in 2004], the expected casualties would be 34,000 in Metro Manila. Meron ding 114,000 injured," he said in a TeleRadyo Serbisyo interview.

He noted that the last time the fault moved was in 1658, making it ripe for a massive quake.

An Earthquake Impact Reduction Study for Metro Manila, funded by Japan International Cooperation Agency for the Metro Manila Development Authority and Phivolcs earlier showed a 7.2-magnitude quake could kill up to 34,000 people after 13 percent of residential houses collapse. Another 100,000 people will sustain injuries due to collapsed buildings while fire will render 10 percent of public buildings unusable.

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Bacolcol said a 7.2-magnitude quake in Metro Manila would cause ground ruptures and be felt at intensity 8.

Retrofitting buildings and houses to make it more earthquake-resilient could lessen casualties, he said.

More than 2,000 people were killed after a massive quake struck 72 kilometers (45 miles) southwest of the tourist hub of Marrakesh, wiping out entire villages in the hills of the Atlas mountain range.

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The tremor was also felt in the coastal cities of Rabat, Casablanca and Agadir, where many panicked residents rushed onto the streets in the middle of the night.

The quake was the deadliest in Morocco since a 1960 tremor destroyed Agadir, a disaster in which more than 12,000 people died.

Bacolcol noted Moroccan authorities estimated the quake at magnitude 7.2, while the United States Geological Survey measured it at magnitude 6.8. with Agence France-Presse