On Monday, as the death toll from Morocco’s biggest earthquake in more than six decades grew to almost 2,700 and rescuers raced against time to find survivors, villagers wept for their lost relatives in the ruins of their homes.
After a 6.8 magnitude earthquake hit the High Atlas Mountains late Friday, with the epicenter 72 km (45 miles) southwest of Marrakech, rescue crews from Spain, Britain, and Qatar joined the Moroccan operation.
The official news agency of the country announced that 2,681 people had died and 2,501 others had been injured. Traditional mud brick buildings were common in the area, but rescuers said their crumbling condition made it less likely that anyone would be found alive inside.
Suleiman Aytnasr, 7, was one of the victims; he had fallen asleep in the living room of his home in a hamlet outside Talat N’Yaaqoub, one of the hardest-hit places, and his mother had carried him to his bedroom. He was getting ready to begin a new academic year.
After 48 hours, rescuers in Morocco are still searching for survivors of the quake.
Suleiman’s father, Brahim Aytnasr, whose eyes were red from crying, said, “As she came back, the earthquake happened and the ceiling was destroyed and fell on him.” On Monday, he had been sifting through the rubble of his home, hoping to find some useful stuff.
Mouath, the 20-year-old son, escaped through the hole in the kitchen ceiling.
Spanish rescuer Antonio Nogales of the assistance group Bomberos Unidos Sin Fronteras (United Firefighters Without Borders) captured scenes from the isolated town of Imi N’Tala, showing men and dogs scrambling over steep slopes covered in rubble.
“The level of destruction is… absolute,” Nogales added, at a loss for words. “Not a single building has maintained its stability.”
He said rescuers searching with dogs were keeping their fingers crossed despite the extent of the destruction.
We believe that individuals may still be trapped inside the fallen buildings, that there may have been pockets of air, and, as I say, we never lose up hope, so I am confident that rescues will take place in the next days, as he put it.
In the wake of a catastrophic earthquake on September 10 in Amizmiz, Morocco, a rescue worker and his dog scour the debris for survivors. REUTERS PHOTO
In the wake of a catastrophic earthquake on September 10 in Amizmiz, Morocco, a rescue worker and his dog scour the debris for survivors. REUTERS PHOTO
Heritage destruction
Tent camps formed in some areas where people were planning to spend a fourth night outside; this came after several survivors complained that the initial reaction was too delayed.
Moroccan news source 2M filmed a military aircraft delivering aid to displaced households by dropping bundles of supplies from the sky.
Authorities have not released any estimates for the number of individuals missing because much of the seismic zone is in inaccessible places.
Rocks that rolled down the steep hills during the earthquake have blocked or impeded roads, making it more difficult to reach the worst-affected areas. Roads have been cleared with heavy machinery only to be blocked again by rockfalls.
It has become increasingly clear that there has been damage to Morocco’s cultural heritage. Marrakech’s historic district, a World Heritage Site, suffered damage. The earthquake also severely damaged the old Tinmel Mosque, which dates back to the 12th century.
They have been sharing food, water, and medicine, but residents of Tinmel, a small village near the epicentre where 15 people were murdered, said they needed tents and blankets to survive the chilly mountain evenings.
The mum of a 15-day-old infant requested milk formula and some medicine for her child.
REUTERS PHOTO
REUTERS PHOTO
Charity work
According to the US Geological Survey, it was the strongest earthquake to hit the North African country since at least 1900 and the deadliest earthquake there since 1960, when a tremor killed an estimated 12,000 people.
Mustapha Baytas, the government’s spokesman, defended the response in a televised statement on Sunday, stating that everything possible was being done on the ground.
The army reported that it was bolstering search-and-rescue teams and supplying water, food, tents, and blankets to those in need.
Since the tragedy, King Mohammed VI has not addressed the nation. Local media reported that Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch had promised victims compensation from the government.
Spain and the United Kingdom have already sent search and rescue specialists with sniffer dogs to assist with the situation, and the United Arab Emirates and Qatar also confirmed on Sunday that they were sending a search and rescue team to the region.
The EU has announced that it will provide $1.07 million to Moroccan NGOs as a first donation.
According to state media, the administration has evaluated the situation and the need of coordinating relief efforts before deciding whether or not to receive aid from other countries.
France and Germany downplayed the significance of Morocco’s slow response to their aid proposals, saying they did not view it as political.
