The 6.8-magnitude earthquake that hit Morocco on Friday night has claimed the lives of more than 2,100 people, the country’s interior ministry has said, and injured a further 2,421. Authorities warn that the death toll is expected to rise as rescue and recovery efforts enter the fourth day.
There are “scenes of destruction and despair” in the villages across the Atlas Mountains, the epicentre of the earthquake, said CNN. The “remote” region has suffered badly, with “homes made from mud bricks crumbling onto residents” and boulders obstructing the roads used by rescue teams. Some villages have been “entirely wiped out”, said The Guardian.
“At least two dozen aftershocks have rattled the region” over the weekend, said Al Jazeera, and people slept outside for fear of being harmed by further tremors or damage to their homes. “Rescuers are racing against time” to find survivors trapped in the rubble, said CNN.
The shock at what has happened is partly due to Morocco being “not really the place where such powerful earthquakes occur”, said the BBC.
On Saturday, King Mohammed VI announced that the North African country would observe three days of national mourning.
Specialist rescue teams and foreign aid are heading to Morocco to assist in the recovery effort, said The Guardian. “We are looking at many months if not years of response”, said Hossam Elsharkawi, the Red Cross’s Middle East and North Africa director.
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