Home breaking news Morocco earthquake updates: Photos show devastating aftermath; death toll surpasses 2,000

Morocco earthquake updates: Photos show devastating aftermath; death toll surpasses 2,000

September 10, 2023
Read

Shock and disbelief blanket Morocco as rescuers scour rubble caused by a 6.8-magnitude earthquake that has killed more than 2,000 people.

Survivors told harrowing tales. The Associated Press reports Ayoub Toudite said he was at the gym in Moulay Brahim with friends when they felt a huge shake "like it was doomsday." Moulay Brahim is along a mountainside in Morocco.

“We found casualties and people running and kids crying,” he said. “We never saw anything like this, 20 deaths in the area, 30 injuries."

Total casualty estimates increased several times Saturday. As of Saturday evening, at least  2,012 people died and another 2,059 people were injured, Morocco's Interior Ministry reported.

The government also announced three days of national mourning. The death toll is expected to rise as rescuers struggled to reach hard-hit remote areas.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the epicenter was roughly 43.5 miles south of Marrakech.

“I can’t reconstruct my home. I don’t know what I’ll do. Still, I’m alive, so I’ll wait,” said Hamid Idsalah, 72, as he walked through drought-stricken Ouargane Valley. “I feel heartsick.”

In Moulay Brahim, an impoverished mountain community, a tent was erected for shelter. Clay and brick homes were uninhabitable after the quake.

More than a dozen of blanket-covered bodies were carried down to a health center where doctors treated injured people. Hundreds of men gathered and knelt on rugs and held funeral traditions before burying bodies.

Fathers sobbed into phones telling loved ones about losing their children.

“There’s nothing to do but pray,” said Hamza Lamghani, who lost five of his closest friends.

Background: More than 1,000 dead in Morocco earthquake

It’s the biggest quake to hit the country in 120 years. The tragedy hit some buildings made from stone and masonry not designed to withstand quakes.

President Joe Biden said in a Saturday statement his administration is in contact with Moroccan officials and is working to ensure Americans in the country are safe. He said the U.S. is standing by, along with other nations, to provide assistance. Morocco's government hasn't formally asked for outside assistance.

The famous Koutoubia Mosque in Marrakech, built in the 12th century, was damaged, but the extent was not immediately clear. Its 226-foot minaret is known as the “roof of Marrakech.” Muslims use the mosque daily for prayers, weddings and funerals, according to the mosque’s tourism website. 

See photos from the quake's aftermath and rescue efforts:

A woman inspects the damage following a 6.8-magnitude quake in Marrakesh on Sept. 9, 2023. A powerful earthquake that shook Morocco late Sept. 8 killed more than 600 people, interior ministry figures showed, sending terrified residents fleeing their homes in the middle of the night.
People affected by the earthquake sit near a highway after their homes were damaged, in Moulay Brahim village, near the epicentre of the earthquake, outside Marrakech, Morocco, Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023. A rare, powerful earthquake struck Morocco late Friday night, killing more than 800 people and damaging buildings from villages in the Atlas Mountains to the historic city of Marrakech. But the full toll was not known as rescuers struggled to get through boulder-strewn roads to the remote mountain villages hit hardest.
People observe a burial prayer for people who have been killed by the earthquake, in Moulay Brahim village, near Marrakech, Morocco, Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023. A rare, powerful earthquake struck Morocco late Friday night, killing more than 800 people and damaging buildings from villages in the Atlas Mountains to the historic city of Marrakech. But the full toll was not known as rescuers struggled to get through boulder-strewn roads to the remote mountain villages hit hardest.
A rescue worker pauses during a rescue operation after the earthquake in Moulay Brahim village, near Marrakech, Morocco, Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023. A rare, powerful earthquake struck Morocco late Friday night, killing over 800 people and damaging buildings from villages in the Atlas Mountains to the historic city of Marrakech. But the full toll was unknown as rescuers struggled to get through boulder-strewn roads to the remote mountain villages hit hardest.
People prepare to bury a man who was killed by the earthquake, in Moulay Brahim village, near Marrakech, Morocco, Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023. A rare, powerful earthquake struck Morocco late Friday night, killing more than 800 people and damaging buildings from villages in the Atlas Mountains to the historic city of Marrakech. But the full toll was not known as rescuers struggled to get through boulder-strewn roads to the remote mountain villages hit hardest.
A cracked mosque minaret stands after an earthquake in Moulay Brahim village, near Marrakech, Morocco, Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023. A rare, powerful earthquake struck Morocco late Friday night, killing more than 800 people and damaging buildings from villages in the Atlas Mountains to the historic city of Marrakech. But the full toll was not known as rescuers struggled to get through boulder-strewn roads to the remote mountain villages hit hardest.
A man stands next to a damaged hotel after the earthquake in Moulay Brahim village, near the epicenter of the earthquake, outside Marrakech, Morocco, Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023. A rare, powerful earthquake struck Morocco late Friday night, killing more than 800 people and damaging buildings from villages in the Atlas Mountains to the historic city of Marrakech. But the full toll was not known as rescuers struggled to get through boulder-strewn roads to the remote mountain villages hit hardest.
September 9, 2023: Rescuers search for survivors under the rubble of a collapsed house in Moulay Brahim, Al Haouz province, after an earthquake. Morocco's deadliest earthquake in decades has killed at least 820 people, officials said on Sept. 9, causing widespread damage and sending terrified residents and tourists scrambling to safety in the middle of the night.
Residents flee their homes after an earthquake in Moulay Brahim village, near Marrakech, Morocco, Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023. A rare, powerful earthquake struck Morocco late Friday night, killing over 800 people and damaging buildings from villages in the Atlas Mountains to the historic city of Marrakech. But the full toll was unknown as rescuers struggled to get through boulder-strewn roads to the remote mountain villages hit hardest.
Families sit outside their destroyed homes after an earthquake in Moulay Ibrahim village, near Marrakech, Morocco, Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023. A rare, powerful earthquake struck Morocco late Friday night, killing over 800 people and damaging buildings from villages in the Atlas Mountains to the historic city of Marrakech. But the full toll was unknown as rescuers struggled to get through boulder-strewn roads to the remote mountain villages hit hardest.
Rescue workers search for survivors in a collapsed house in Moulay Brahim, Al Haouz province, on Sept. 9, 2023, after an earthquake. Morocco's deadliest earthquake in decades has killed at least 820 people, officials said on Sept. 9, causing widespread damage and sending terrified residents and tourists scrambling to safety in the middle of the night.
People mourn in front of the body of a victim killed in an earthquake in Moulay Brahim, Al Haouz province, on September 9, 2023. Morocco's deadliest earthquake in decades has killed at least 820 people, officials said on Sept. 9, causing widespread damage and sending terrified residents and tourists scrambling to safety in the middle of the night.
Residents stay out at a square following an earthquake in Marrakesh on Sept. 9, 2023. Nearly 300 people were killed after a powerful earthquake rattled Morocco on Sept. 8, according to a preliminary government count, with Marrakesh residents reporting "unbearable" screams followed the 6.8-magnitude quake.
A cat walks through the rubble after an earthquake in Moulay Brahim village, near Marrakech, Morocco, Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023. A rare, powerful earthquake struck Morocco late Friday night, killing over 800 people and damaging buildings from villages in the Atlas Mountains to the historic city of Marrakech. But the full toll was unknown as rescuers struggled to get through boulder-strewn roads to the remote mountain villages hit hardest.
Security forces take part in a rescue operation after an earthquake in Moulay Brahim village, near Marrakech, Morocco, Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023. A rare, powerful earthquake struck Morocco late Friday night, killing over 800 people and damaging buildings from villages in the Atlas Mountains to the historic city of Marrakech. But the full toll was unknown as rescuers struggled to get through boulder-strewn roads to the remote mountain villages hit hardest.

Contributing: The Associated Press; Sam Metz, Mosa'ab Eishamy, Angela Charlton, Ahmed Hatem, Brian Melley, Hadia Bakkar

Tags :

No comments:

Subscribe to: Post Comments ( Atom )
Powered by Blogger.