Villagers in Morocco’s quake-devastated regions endured a fourth night of camping outdoors as the death toll from the nation’s most powerful earthquake in over a century climbed to more than 2,800 people.
Search teams, comprising personnel from Spain, Britain, and Qatar, joined Moroccan efforts to locate survivors following the 6.8 magnitude earthquake that struck the High Atlas Mountains late on Friday. The quake flattened the traditional mud brick houses that are typical in the region.
Moroccan state TV reported late on Monday that the death toll had risen to 2,862, with 2,562 people injured. Due to the challenging terrain of the earthquake zone, which includes hard-to-reach areas, authorities have refrained from providing estimates for the number of individuals still missing.
In Tinmel village, nearly every house lay in ruins, rendering the entire community homeless. The village is filled with the scent of death, as dozens of animals remain buried beneath the rubble.
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Mouhamad Elhasan, 59, shared his harrowing experience, stating that he was having dinner with his family when the earthquake struck.
His 31-year-old son rushed outside but was struck by debris as their neighbor’s roof collapsed, leaving him trapped beneath the rubble.
Elhasan desperately searched for his son as he called for help, but the cries eventually fell silent. By the time Elhasan reached his son, he had tragically passed away. Elhasan, along with his wife and daughter, managed to survive by staying inside their home.
Elhasan expressed his regret, saying, “If he had stayed inside the house, he would have been okay.”
Residents in Tinmel and neighboring villages recounted stories of rescuing survivors with their bare hands.
In Tikekhte, where few buildings remain standing, 66-year-old Mohamed Ouchen described how residents rescued 25 individuals, including his sister.
“We were busy rescuing. Because we didn’t have tools, we used our hands,” he explained. “Her head was visible, and we kept digging by hand.”
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Footage from the remote village of Imi N’Tala, filmed by Spanish rescuer Antonio Nogales of the aid group Bomberos Unidos Sin Fronteras (United Firefighters Without Borders), depicted the challenging conditions as men and dogs navigated steep slopes covered in rubble.
Describing the devastation, Nogales said, “The level of destruction is… absolute. Not a single house has remained upright.”
Despite the immense scale of damage, Nogales stated that search and rescue teams, aided by dogs, remain hopeful of finding survivors.
The epicenter of the earthquake was situated approximately 72 km (45 miles) southwest of Marrakech, where some historical buildings in the old city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, sustained damage. The historically significant 12th-century Tinmel Mosque also suffered major destruction.
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Fortunately, more modern sections of Marrakech, including a site near the airport designated for upcoming IMF and World Bank meetings, have largely escaped harm.
These meetings are expected to proceed as planned, with over 10,000 attendees anticipated, according to government sources.