Severe destruction, suffering and despair: Thousands die in Morocco’s worst earthquake in decades. The Moroccan Interior Ministry spoke on Sunday afternoon More than 2100 people diedHas to be added At least 2,400 people were injured And Hundreds are missing.
Rescue and rescue teams are continuing to search for survivors in the crash areas. But assistants sometimes come Distant mountain ranges Progress can only be made with difficulty. There is still a risk of earthquakes, causing damaged buildings to collapse completely.
Despite tensions: Algeria also wants to help
Due to the severe consequences of the disaster, diplomatic tensions also took a back seat: according to the official spokesperson of the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Algeria Various Algerian news sites reported that the emergency plan to support Morocco “should the Kingdom accept this assistance”. The team consists of 80 specialized rescue personnel. Tents and mattresses should also be sent.
Algeria and Morocco have not had diplomatic relations since August 2021. The Algerian government said at the time that the cause was “hostile actions by Rabat”. Areas in the Western Sahara were disputed. Algeria closed its airspace to Moroccan flights. On Saturday, the country had already announced that it would reopen its airspace for flights carrying the wounded and injured, as well as humanitarian aid to the neighboring country.
Several earthquakes rocked the affected areas
A magnitude 6.8 earthquake hit Morocco on Saturday night. It was felt at a radius of 400 kilometers, Nasser Jabour, head of a department at the National Geophysical Institute, told Moroccan news agency MAP. The focal point was good 70 kilometers southwest of Marrakech In the Atlas Mountains.
Most people in the affected areas spent Sunday night outdoors as houses were often not built strong enough. Many aftershocks It has rocked the country ever since. A strong earthquake hit around 9am local time on Sunday morning; It measured 3.9 on the Richter scale, according to USGS. According to Hesperus, the epicenter of the aftershock was 80 kilometers southwest of Marrakesh, similar to the first earthquake.
Morocco accepts support from four countries – THW sends home helpers
Aid and condolences poured in from around the world. As the Moroccan Interior Ministry said on Sunday evening, after a thorough investigation, the authorities “… Support offers Friendly countries Spain, Qatar, Great Britain And United Arab States responded”. The teams contacted their Moroccan counterparts on Sunday. The government welcomes all solidarity efforts from various countries.
A special Spanish military unit with search dogs has already flown to Morocco. Members of the “Fire Brigade Without Borders” and other professional fire brigades also moved from Spain. The Gulf emirate of Qatar has dispatched a rescue and search team, Qatar News Agency QNA reported.
People in Marrakech sleep in tents after their houses collapsed.
(Photo: Mosa’ab Elshamy/dpa)
In Deutschland And in other countries, relief workers were ready for action, but they didn’t expect to be deployed on Sunday. “So far it has been No request for help Morocco,” said a spokesman for the aid organization ISAR Germany and the Federal Association of Rescue Dogs. “We are now driving everything back, emptying our camp and unpacking our backpacks.” Technical Relief Organization (THW) He sent his aides home for the time being, who had already gathered near the Cologne/Bonn airport for a possible rescue operation in Morocco. The committee is continuing to work, he said.
for that America Foreign Secretary Anthony Blinken said on Sunday that the government had mobilized relevant officials and was now ready for action. “We are now waiting for news from the Moroccan government to find out how and where we can help. But we are ready to go,” he told CNN. An aid team also left Tunisia on Saturday evening, but it was unclear if it was already underway.
International Federation Red Cross and Red Cross Societies The Red Crescent announced in Geneva that it would donate one million Swiss francs (one million euros) to rescue workers. Moroccan donors will use the money from the umbrella company to purchase critical items locally. “The challenges are enormous,” said Caroline Holt, IFRC crisis manager. Bringing heavy rescue equipment to remote earthquake areas and helping the critically injured quickly is the most important thing right now.
French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his solidarity with the Moroccan people at X. He also thinks of many French people with Moroccan roots who have family in Morocco. France Macron said on Sunday that he would be ready to help a second country where Moroccan officials deemed it useful. Four French nationals were among the victims, the French ambassador to Morocco told broadcaster BFMTV.
More than 300,000 people were affected
The ground shook for several seconds on Saturday night, causing panic among people. According to the World Health Organization (WHO). More than 300,000 people Marrakesh and its surrounding areas were affected by the accident. The full extent of the disaster cannot yet be predicted; It is feared that the death toll will continue to rise. King Mohammed VI ordered three days of national mourning.
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