After an earthquake, Moroccan villagers set up camp outside; the death toll now stands at over 2,800. Spanish, British, and Qatari search teams all participate in the search for survivors.
Villagers in certain sections of Morocco, which had just experienced the nation’s strongest earthquake in more than a century, spent their fourth night sleeping outside on September 11 as the death toll passed 2,800, according to Reuters.
In an effort to find survivors after the 6.8-magnitude earthquake that struck the High Atlas Mountains late on September 8 reduced traditional mud brick homes common to the area to rubble, search teams from various nations have joined Moroccan efforts. Spain and Britain both sent search and rescue teams with dogs, and Morocco has accepted their offers of help. Qatar and the United Arab Emirates both provided assistance. Three aircraft were sent by Algeria to ferry supplies and rescue workers.
On September 11, State TV stated that 2,862 persons had died and 2,562 had been injured. Authorities have not given any estimates for the number of missing due to the fact that a large portion of the earthquake zone is in isolated places.
Nearly every home in the Tinmel village was demolished, leaving no one to live there. The military has increased the number of search and rescue crews and has delivered food, tents, and blankets in addition to providing water.
The earthquake happened while Mouhamad Elhasan, 59, was eating supper with his family. When their neighbor’s roof fell, trapping him under the debris, their father’s 31-year-old son tried to run outside but was hit. When the calls for aid finally stopped, Elhasan urgently looked for his kid, but by the time he found him, he had already passed away. Elhasan, his wife, and their daughter managed to live inside their house.
Mohamed Ouchen, 66, revealed how locals in Tikekhte, where not many buildings are still standing, saved 25 people, among them his sister. We were busy rescuing, he said. We used our hands as we lacked any tools. “Her head was visible, and we kept digging by hand,” he continued, according to Reuters.
Additionally, see Morocco earthquake: 8-year-old boy dies while eating supper with his father
The epicenter of the earthquake occurred roughly 72 km (45 miles) southwest of Marrakech, where a number of ancient structures in the old city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, were damaged. The historically significant 12th-century Tinmel Mosque also suffered considerable damage as a result of the earthquake.
Modern Marrakech remained virtually unharmed, including a site close to the airport chosen for IMF and World Bank meetings slated for the next month. Despite the catastrophe, the Moroccan government plans to hold the sessions, which are anticipated to attract over 10,000 participants.
