Morocco earthquake: rescuers continue search for survivors

Moroccan troops dig through the rubble to search for survivors.

PHOTO BY MOROCCO MINISTRY OF INTERIOR

Morocco earthquake: rescuers continue search for survivors

Rescuers continued a search for survivors on Sunday (September 10) after a powerful earthquake in Morocco left more than 2,000 people dead and several cities damaged.

At least 2,012 people were killed and 1,404 others in critical condition following the 6.8 magnitude earthquake on Friday.

Authorities have declared three days of national mourning as rescuers continued digging through the rubble in a desperate bid to find survivors. Troops and emergency services scrambled to reach remote mountain villages where victims are feared trapped.

Witnesses described scenes of destruction in the Atlast Mountains foothills and Marrakech, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Buildings and city walls were damaged. Some houses have collapsed. Footage on social media showed part of a minaret collapsed on Jemaa el-Fna square.

In the mountain village of Tafeghaghte near the quake’s epicentre, virtually no buildings were left standing.

Emergency services were deployed to quake-hit regions, as Morocco’s King Mohammed VI ordered that a relief commission be set up to distribute aid to survivors. Offers of international aid poured in from countries including UAE, Japan and France. ICA/Expat Media

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