Rescuers use a small excavator to search for survivors under the rubble in Marrakesh
RABAT, Sept 12 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Villagers wept for lost relatives in the rubble of their homes on Monday as the death toll from Morocco’s deadliest earthquake in more than six decades rose to more than 2,800 and rescuers raced against time to find survivors.
Search teams from Spain, Britain and Qatar were joining Moroccan rescue efforts after the 6.8 magnitude quake struck late on Friday in the High Atlas Mountains, with the epicentre 72 km southwest of Marrakech.
State TV reported the death toll had risen to 2,862 with 2,562 people injured. Rescuers said the traditional mud brick houses ubiquitous in the region reduced the chances of finding survivors because they had crumbled.
The powerful earthquake that struck Morocco late Friday, killing and injuring thousands, caused widespread damage in the popular tourist city of Marrakech and surrounding villages.
The United Nations estimates 300,000 people in the region were affected, with many sleeping outside amid concerns over aftershocks. Now, international aid groups are raising money to help those in need as the desperate search continues for survivors of Morocco’s deadliest earthquake in more than six decades.
Marrakesh has a rich architectural heritage, and much of it has suffered damage in Friday’s earthquake, the strongest ever to hit the North African country.
Some parts of the 700-hectare medina and its network of alleyways saw significant damage, with mounds of rubble and crumpled buildings.
The 12th-century walls that surround the millennium-old city, founded by the Almoravid dynasty, have also been partly disfigured by the quake.
“After a disaster like this, the most important thing is to preserve human life,” said Eric Falt, the Maghreb region director for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
“But we also have to plan immediately for the second phase, which includes rebuilding schools and cultural property affected by the earthquake.”
The quake’s epicentre in a remote area of the High Atlas Mountains was relatively shallow – and tremors were also reportedly felt in the capital Rabat, some 350km away, as well as Casablanca and Essaouira.
Simple buildings in mountain villages near the epicentre may not have survived and, being remote, it may take some time to determine casualties there.
The quake was also felt in neighbouring Algeria, but officials said it had not caused any damage or casualties.
Algeria said it was ready to open its airspace for humanitarian and medical flights to Morocco, despite the fact that it severed ties with its neighbour in 2021 in a move which included suspending direct flights in both directions.
Speaking at the G20 summit in Delhi, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the international community would come to Morocco’s aid.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez offered “solidarity and support to the people of Morocco”. French President Emmanuel Macron said he was “devastated” by the news and offered assistance to Morocco.
US President Joe Biden and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky expressed their solidarity while Vladimir Putin said Russia shared “the pain and the mourning of the friendly Moroccan people”. — NNN-AGENCIES
