Morocco quake: death toll rises to 2,901
Sep 13, 2023
Rabat [Morocco], September 13: Many survivors of Morocco's earthquake struggled in makeshift shelters on Tuesday after a fourth night in the open, while villagers in devastated mountain areas voiced frustration at having received no help from the authorities.
The death toll from the 6.8 magnitude quake that struck in the High Atlas Mountains late on Friday evening rose to 2,901, while the number of people injured more than doubled to 5,530, state television reported.
It was the North African country's deadliest earthquake since 1960 and its most powerful in more than a century.
Rescuers from Spain, Britain and Qatar were helping Morocco's search teams, while Italy, Belgium, France and Germany said their offers of assistance had yet to be approved.
The situation was most desperate for people in remote areas cut off by landslides triggered by the earthquake that blocked access roads, while in accessible locations relief efforts were stepping up with tent camps and distribution of food and water.
Mehdi AitBouyali, 24, was camping along the Tizin'Test road, which connects remote valleys to the historic city of Marrakech, with a few other survivors who had also fled their destroyed villages. He said the group had received food and blankets from people driving by but nothing from the state.
In his first televised appearance since the earthquake struck, King Mohammed VI visited Marrakech - 72 km (45 miles) from the tremor's epicentre - to meet injured people at a hospital, where the state news agency said he donated blood.
State media said on Saturday he chaired a meeting assigning aid funds, but he has made no public address about the disaster.
Source: Fijian Broadcasting Cooperation
