Rescuers raced against time on Monday to find survivors in the rubble more than 48 hours after Morocco’s deadliest earthquake in more than six decades, with more than 2,100 killed in the disaster that destroyed villages in the High Atlas Mountains.
Search teams from Spain and Britain joined the search for survivors of the 6.8-magnitude earthquake that struck late Friday night 45 miles southwest of Marrakech.
Many survivors spent the third night outside, their homes destroyed or rendered unsafe by Morocco’s strongest earthquake since at least 1900.
Women react as volunteers search for the bodies of family members from the rubble of a collapsed house in the village of Imi N’Tala near Amizmiz in central Morocco after a deadly 6.8 magnitude earthquake. AFP via Getty Images
The death toll rose to 2,122 with 2,421 injured, state TV reported late Sunday.
In the village of Tafeghaghte, Hamid ben Henna described how his eight-year-old son died under the rubble after he went to get a knife from the kitchen while the family was having dinner. Other family members survived.
People have salvaged possessions from the rubble of their homes and described scenes of desperation as they dug with their bare hands to find relatives.
Family members hug each other near the ruins of a collapsed building in the village of Imi N’Tala near Amizmiz in central Morocco. AFP via Getty Images
The damage done to Morocco’s cultural heritage has appeared gradually. Buildings in the old city of Marrakech, a World Heritage Site, have been damaged.
The earthquake also reportedly caused extensive damage to the historically important 12th-century Tinmel Mosque in a remote mountainous area closer to the epicenter.
Survivors struggling to find shelter and supplies have voiced criticism of what they describe as an initially slow government response.
Emergency workers carry a body, after a deadly earthquake, in Amizmiz, Morocco. Reuters
Emergency workers search under a badly damaged house in Moulay Brahim, Morocco. Getty Images
Morocco has deployed the army as part of its response and said it was strengthening search and rescue teams, providing drinking water and distributing food, tents and blankets.
State television reported on Sunday that the government may accept aid offers from other countries and will seek to coordinate them if needed.
Search and rescue experts with sniffer dogs were sent by Britain and Spain. For its part, Qatar said on Sunday its search and rescue team left for Morocco.
People camp on the side of the road after a deadly earthquake in Imgdal, Morocco. Reuters
Spain said it received a formal request for help from Morocco on Sunday.
France, among the countries offering aid, said on Sunday it was ready to help and was awaiting a formal request from Morocco.
King Mohammed VI thanked Spain, Qatar, the UK and the United Arab Emirates for sending aid, state TV reported on Sunday.
Satellite images show damaged buildings following a strong earthquake, in Amizmiz, Morocco. via REUTERS
Emergency workers carry a body, after a deadly earthquake, in Amizmiz, Morocco. Reuters
Morocco has assessed aid needs and considered the importance of coordinating aid efforts before accepting their aid, he added.
With many houses built from mud bricks and wood or cement blocks and wind, the structure collapses easily. It was the deadliest earthquake in the North African country since 1960 when a major tremor was estimated to have killed at least 12,000 people.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
