Strange videos have arisen in the aftermath of Morocco’s devastating earthquake, showing mysterious lights in the sky before the tremor hit. 

Blue lights were seen flashing above Agadir at the foot of the Atlas Mountains, hours before the 6.8 magnitude tremor struck. 

While the clips have not been verified, the unexplained sightings have baffled onlookers, with some suggesting that a UFO or lightning could be to blame.

Another possible explanation may be ‘earthquake lights’ – a rare phenomenon believed to take place in times of seismic stress.

But no one knows for sure if earthquake lights even exist, or what causes them. 

Footage of strange blue lights has arisen following Morocco’s devastating earthquake

‘The [Morocco] earthquake happened at nighttime,’ geophysicist Dr Friedemann Freund told The Washington Post.

‘The condition for earthquake lights to be seen by people and maybe even recorded by cameras would be relatively high.’

Long believed to be a myth, these unusual lights are thought to take place amid the changes that occur to Earth’s magnetic field during an earthquake or volcanic eruption.

The lights can take a variety of forms, whether it be a pink sphere of light or four-inch ‘flames’ above the pavement.

The latter was said to have occurred in Italy’s historic city of L’Aquila just seconds before an earthquake struck in 2009.

Meanwhile, a bright purple globe of light reportedly moved along the sky near the St. Lawrence River in Quebec in 1988, 11 days before a powerful quake. 

In 2014, Dr Friedemann and his colleagues studied 65 unexplained reports of these lights from as far back as 1600.

Geologists say the 6.8 magnitude tremor was the biggest quake to hit the heart of the country in more than 120 years

Rescuers are still searching for survivors, with some in remote areas forced to dig with their bare hands because heavy lifting machinery can’t get to them

They found that 85 per cent took place near breaks in the Earth’s crust, commonly referred to as ‘rifts’.

Most sightings also took place before or during an earthquake but rarely ever after.  

This pattern has led scientists to believe that a build-up of seismic stress is the key driver of earthquake lights. 

They theorise that ‘activated’ electric charges in rocks at the crust ionise air molecules as they come to the surface.

This reaction is believed to generate the strange lights almost like a battery, but much still remains a mystery.

‘It’s one of the very few documented accounts of someone acting on the presence of earthquake lights,’ said Robert Thériault of the Ministère des Ressources Naturelles of Québec, who worked on the study.     

‘Earthquake lights as a pre-earthquake phenomenon, in combination with other types of parameters that vary prior to seismic activity, may one day help forecast the approach of a major quake.’

READ MORE: Where did the Morocco earthquake hit? Map reveals the epicentre was in the High Atlas Mountains 

This map reveals the epicentre of the deadly Morocco earthquake, which killed over 2,500 people and injured thousands more when it struck last Friday.

Geologists said the 6.8 magnitude tremor was the biggest quake to hit the heart of the country in more than 120 years and the deadliest in six decades.

Where the earthquake struck: This map reveals the epicentre of the deadly Morocco quake, which killed over 2,500 people and injured thousands more when it struck last Friday

Shares in an online gaming group co-owned by David Beckham surged after it signed another deal with Sky.

Guild Esports, whose teams of video game professionals compete against rivals for money, appointed Sky Glass as its official television partner.

Sky Glass is the streaming TV service from Sky that does not require a satellite dish.

Result: Former England and Manchester United captain David Beckham (pictured) has a stake Guild Esports worth around £185,000

Alongside the new deal – which will see Guild receive increased sponsorship fees for years two and three of the existing agreement – Sky will invest a ‘six-figure’ sum to refurbish the Sky Guild Gaming Centre where the company is based in east London.

Shares in Guild Esports rose 11.1 per cent, or 0.08p, to 0.75p. 

That gave the company a value of £4.7million – with former England and Manchester United captain Beckham’s near-4 per cent stake worth around £185,000.

Boss Jasmine Skee said: ‘Since first partnering with Sky in September 2022, our relationship has flourished. 

‘With our shared vision and commitment to esports excellence, we are setting the gold standard for partnerships in the esports realm.’

A U.S couple has shared a video of a dizzying meal they shared on a picnic table suspended around 262ft (80m) over a thundering waterfall in Brazil

If you have a fear of heights, this experience would be no picnic.

A U.S couple has shared a video of a dizzying meal they shared on a picnic table suspended around 262ft (80m) over a thundering waterfall in Brazil.

In the head-spinning footage, Florida native Christianna Hurt, 28, and her rapper boyfriend ‘OnPointLikeOp’, also known as O.P, can be seen sipping on wine and tucking into a picnic spread while hanging over Cascata da Sepultura, a waterfall in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul.

It’s racked up thousands of views on Christianna’s Instagram and TikTok, with her followers quick to point out that it looks like a nerve-wracking experience. ‘You are so brave’ said user ‘iamdianedenise’, while ‘iamcurlybae’ declared: ‘I woulda lost my whole appetite.’ And ‘jericabrewer’ wrote: ‘ I would be so scared.’

But speaking to MailOnline Travel, thrillseeker Christianna, who had gone cliff-jumping the day prior as part of the couple’s tour of South America, admits she wasn’t frightened by the experience. To the contrary – the high-flying picnic experience was ‘a piece of cake’ for the couple, she says. 

Christianna Hurt and her rapper boyfriend ‘OnPointLikeOp’ can be seen sipping on wine and tucking into a picnic spread while hanging over Cascata da Sepultura, a waterfall in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul

The waterfall lies around an hour’s drive from Caxias do Sul, a town known for its wine-making heritage

They booked the experience through local adventure firm Rota Aventura, which describes it as ‘a non-traditional picnic in the middle of the most beautiful waterfall there is’.

Detailing how she learned of the experience, Christianna, who runs an e-commerce education platform, reveals: ‘I was looking for things to do in Brazil that were different.’

She explains how they drove by four-by-four and dune buggy to reach the waterfall, which is around an hour’s drive from Caxias do Sul, a town known for its wine-making heritage.

The view of Christianna and her partner captured by the drone as it spins around the waterfall 

One Instagram user said the couple was ‘so brave’ to try out the experience, which cost $450 (£352) and included photography and drone footage of the picnic 

They needed to briefly walk through the river itself to reach the zip-line platform that’s been built into the waterfall’s edge, she reveals.

Christianna and her boyfriend were then strapped into a harness and took a seat on the picnic table, which was secured to the zipline. She explains that the Rota Aventura crew then ‘rolled’ the table along the zip line, leaving the couple dangling over the cascading water. 

They then unpacked the picnic – comprised of fruit, vegetables, cheese, crackers and small sandwiches – and poured glasses of wine for themselves. 

Christianna and her boyfriend pose for pictures at Pedra do Telegrafo, a rock in Brazil’s Pedra Branca State Park, during their tour of South America. Though it appears as though the couple are teetering over the edge of the rock, it’s a trick of the eye 

Detailing how she learned of the waterfall picnic experience, Christianna reveals: ‘I was looking for things to do in Brazil that were different’

Christianna admits: ‘It’s only about a 15-minute experience total… the experience is more about the scenery, not the food.’

The experience set them back $450 (£352) and included photography and drone footage of the unique picnic date.

It’s not the only nail-biting experience at the waterfall offered by Rota Aventura. You can also lie in a hammock over the waterfall or try a ‘pendulum’ bungee-jump experience.

To see more videos from Christianna, visit her Instagram and her TikTok.

An amateur astronomer was snapping images of the supermoon over West Virginia Wednesday morning when a giant fireball exploded in the sky as it fell from space.

Bill Stewart, from Ceredo, was perched on his rooftop to capture the brilliant moon when he saw a blazing streak in the sky that ‘made two audible booms.’

Stewart, however, was not a lone observer of the cosmic display – there are more than 70 sighting reports from nine US states, including Georgia and Ohio.

NASA has also acknowledged the fireball, revealing it was likely a comet fragment weighing 75 pounds that traveled southeast at 37,000 miles per hour. 

An amateur astronomer was snapping images of the supermoon over West Virginia Wednesday morning when a giant fireball exploded in the sky as it fell from space

Steward shared a video of the epic experience, telling SpaceWeather.com that the fireball broke through the night sky at 2:13 am ET.

‘The fireball made two audible booms,’ he said.

‘After one bright flash, it broke into three distinct fragments. 

‘One remained bright as it descended below the horizon. It could have possibly touched down although I didn’t hear it impact.’

NASA’s Bill Cooke said the comet fragment ‘entered Earth’s atmosphere about 50 miles above the Kentucky town of Krypton, moving roughly southeast at 37,000 miles per hour. 

‘The object traveled 65 miles through the atmosphere before disintegrating 30 miles above Duffield, Virginia.’

Cooke continued explaining that the fireball’s breakup generated about two tons of TNT.

Bill Stewart, from Ceredo, was perched on his rooftop to capture the brilliant moon when he saw a blazing streak in the sky that ‘made two audible booms.’

NASA said the fireball’s breakup generated about two tons of TNT

The American Meteor Society, a non-profit founded in 1911 that collects reports of meteors and other cosmic sightings, shows 74 other people spotted the fireball early Thursday morning.

Reports came from Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. 

Sheen A, from Delphia, Kentucky, reported her house shook immediately after she heard the boom.

Tennessee resident  April H shared: ‘It was the brightest and biggest meteor I have ever seen. It was the most elegant green ball arcing across the sky before it suddenly turned to a bright gold as it broke apart and disappeared. 

‘From where I live, [in Unionville] it appeared to have been going over the southern end of Rutherford Co TN, headed East and ended near Hwy. 231S.’

Peter Stefanovic has slammed Prince Harry for making explosive claims about his brother William in his controversial memoir Spare.

The Sky News host was discussing the Duke and his wife Meghan Markles’ $20million Archetypes podcast being axed by Spotify on Tuesday when he criticised Harry on his ‘boring’ book.

‘Harry’s book is atrocious and just well boring. And I’m still stuck on the hanging your brother out to dry thing,’ Peter began.

‘But if he’s happy making his money, trashing his family and being able to deal with his conscious, then good luck to him. Sounds like a swell guy.’

‘Broken deals or not, they still make a lot of money out of it so they’re laughing to the bank but for how long?’

Sky News host Peter Stefanovic has slammed Prince Harry for ‘hanging his brother William out to dry’ after the Duke trashed his family in his explosive memoir Spare

In his explosive memoir, Harry branded Prince William his ‘arch-nemesis’.

The Duke kept nothing back when writing about his very complex feelings about his older sibling – laying bare his bitter frustrations over his role as the ‘spare’ to William, who is the heir to the throne.

Harry also accused William of physically attacking him and claimed that the Palace planted negative stories about Meghan in the media.

Peter was discussing the Duke and his wife Meghan Markles’ $20million Archetypes podcast being axed by Spotify when he criticised Harry on his ‘boring’ book

In an interview with Good Morning America in January, Harry admitted he always felt there’s been ‘this competition’ between the two siblings, which he blames on their respective positions in the line of succession.

‘There’s a quote in the book where your refer to your brother as your “beloved brother and arch-nemesis”. Strong words. What did you mean by that?’ host Michael Strahan asked.

Harry then responded: ‘There has always been this competition between us, weirdly. I think it really plays into or always played by the “heir/spare”.’

‘Harry’s book is atrocious and just well boring. And I’m still stuck on the hanging your brother out to dry thing,’ he said

Sky Sports have axed half of their football reporting team in a brutal cost-cutting exercise which could also see the exit of veteran interviewer Geoff Shreeves.

Mail Sport has learned that Shreeves has been asked to take a significant pay-cut if he wants to extend his stay at the broadcaster he first joined when the Premier League started in 1992.

Shreeves is considering his options, as with 31 years of employment at Sky he would be entitled to a large redundancy package should he choose to leave and may attract offers elsewhere.

The rest of Sky’s decisions have been made after a consultation over redundancies in April, with six of their 13-strong team of football reporters being cut, although some chose to go voluntarily and others may be offered alternative roles. 

Experienced and well-respected journalists including Guy Havord, Dickie Davis, Bianca Westwood, Greg Whelan, Lynsey Hooper and Jaydee Dyer will not be continuing in their current roles. 

Geoff Shreeves has been asked to take a significant pay-cut in order to remain at Sky Sports 

Both Lynsey Hooper (left) and Bianca Westwood (right) were cut from Sky Sports’ line-up

David Craig (left) and Emma Saunders (right) were two of the few reports to survive the cut

Emma Saunders appears to be the only female reporter to survive the cull, along with David Craig, Patrick Davidson, Jonathan Oakes, Johnny Phillips and Luke Shanley.

Sky’s decision to remove half of their football reporting team will raise further questions over the future of their flagship results programme Soccer Saturday, which is currently without a presenter after Jeff Stelling confirmed he was leaving at the end of the season. Sky declined to comment.

BLADES BUDGET CUT SHORT 

Sheffield United manager Paul Heckingbottom has been given a transfer budget of just £20million this summer, despite the club securing a £170m windfall by winning promotion to the Premier League.

With the proposed takeover from Nigerian businessman Dozy Mmobuosi stalling and an offer from an American consortium collapsing, owner Prince Abdullah is planning to continue running United on a shoe-string budget, while banking the majority of the Premier League’s television income.

Having won promotion despite operating under a transfer embargo, Heckingbottom is resigned to working with limited funds and his immediate priority is to re-sign out-of-contract players such as John Fleck, Jack Robinson and Ben Osborn.

Meanwhile, Paul Heckingbottom will get just £20million to work with ahead of Sheffield United’s return to the top-flight 

KEYS AND GRAY TO STAY

Richard Keys and Andy Gray have signed new contracts to continue presenting Premier League coverage for BeIN Sports in Qatar after their previous deals expired at the end of the season.

The pair have spent a decade as the faces of BeIN’s English-language coverage in the Middle East and North Africa. They returned to television after a two-year spell at talkSPORT, who signed them after they were sacked by Sky Sports for a series of sexist remarks.

Keys and Gray’s new contracts are understood to be one-year rolling deals, giving both parties flexibility.

HANDS-ON MARATHE 

Leeds vice-chairman Paraag Marathe has wasted no time in taking a more hands-on approach at Elland Road since the club confirmed they had agreed the terms of a full sale to 49ers Enterprises last Friday.

The American is understood to have lined up interviews with several prospective new managers for next week, including former Norwich boss Daniel Farke and West Bromwich manager Carlos Corberan.

He has also called several senior Leeds players to reassure them that they have big plans for the club, despite relegation back to the Championship.

Leeds vice-chairman Paraag Marathe has already begun his hands-on approach at the club

Broadcaster Sky is reportedly lining up hundreds of job cuts as it grapples with a shift to streaming.

The cuts are expected to hit customer service staff and the engineers who fit satellite dishes, the Sunday Times reported.

Hard times: The cuts are expected to hit customer service staff and the engineers who fit satellite dishes

Sky suffered an 11.5 per cent fall in revenues to £14.3billion last year though profits and customer numbers rose.

US media giant Comcast bought Sky for £30billion in 2018. But last October it took a £6.8billion write down on the value of the business, blaming ‘challenging economic conditions’.

Sales of the company’s much trumpeted Sky Glass product – a TV with streaming apps and Sky built in that avoids the need for a satellite dish – have reportedly been underwhelming. 

‘It’s in a really tough place,’ a source was quoted as saying.