Morocco Earthquake Deaths Reach 2,500 People
Noriko Watanabe, Sawako Utsumi, and Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
The brutal earthquake that hit Morocco is now responsible for the deaths of 2,500 people.
Sadly, the fear is this will increase further because so many remote areas were hit. Accordingly, rescue missions are ongoing to find people trapped by rubble.
Whole communities in the High Atlas Mountains are in shock – and deep mourning for family members, friends, and neighbors who have perished.
Drones from local media sources highlight the utter devastation of villages in the Al Haouz region. Hence, in the peaks of this region, the mud-brick houses collapsed immediately after the earthquake hit.
The BBC reports, “Friday’s earthquake, the country’s deadliest for more than 60 years, struck below a remote cluster of mountainous villages south of Marrakesh.”
In the small village of Tafegheghte, they have counted 90 deaths. This village was home to roughly 400 people.
It is easy to imagine other villages in total mourning – similar to Tafegheghte.
The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre said that 25 aftershocks have hit the region since the 6.8 magnitude earthquake devastated parts of Morocco.
The Guardian reports, “Moroccan authorities said they had “responded favorably” to offers of help from visiting search and rescue teams from Spain, Qatar, Britain and the United Arab Emirates, but were yet to accept further offers of aid from other countries despite the urgent nature of the disaster.”
According to the United Nations, approximately 300,000 people face immediate hardship after losing their homes and way of life.
NBC News reports, “The desperate search for survivors is now in a critical phase, bringing moments of breathless joy as some are pulled to safety. But others of heartache when the rescuers arrive too late.”
The death toll is likely to grow further.
Hence, it is essential that local, regional, and international coordination support the people of Morocco during this tragic period.
Similar to other earthquake tragedies, the poor have been hit the hardest concerning the materials of their homes and other factors related to the infrastructure.
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