The number of victims from the earthquake that hit Morocco last Friday amounts, according to the count carried out until 10:00 local time (GMT+1), to 2,497 dead and 2,476 injured, according to a note from the Moroccan Ministry of the Interior.
According to the latest data released by this department, deaths were recorded in a dozen provinces, but The most affected are Al Haouz, -south of Marrakech and close to the epicenter-, with 1,452 deaths, followed by Taroudant (764 deaths), Chichaoua (202 deaths).
A seismic alert bulletin released by the Moroccan National Institute of Geophysics explains that the earthquake, of magnitude 7, shook the northern Moroccan region of Marrakech and occurred at 11:11 p.m. local time on Friday (10:11 p.m. GMT) at 8 kilometers deep.
It had its epicenter in the town of Ighil, located about 80 kilometers southwest of the city of Marrakech.
national mourning
“I lost everything,” lamented Lahcen, a man who lost his wife and four children in the rural town of Moulay Brahim, in the mountainous area of High Atlas.
“The only thing I want is to get away from the world and grieve,” said this father who was saved from dying because he was outside his house at the time of the earthquake.
The town of Tafeghaghte, a few kilometers to the west, was practically destroyed by the earthquake, whose epicenter was located just fifty kilometers away, according to a team of AFP.
“Three of my grandchildren (ages 12, 8 and 4) and their mother died. “They are all under the ruins,” said Omar Benhanna, 72, devastated.
On Saturday, many of the survivors went to the cemetery for the burial of about 70 people, in heartbreaking ceremonies marked by screams and tears.
On Saturday, the kingdom decreed three days of national mourning and leaders from around the world, from Spain and France to Israel and USAsent their condolences to Rabat.
Even Algeriaa neighboring country at odds with Morocco, opened its airspace that has been closed for two years to planes transporting humanitarian aid and evacuating the wounded.
He world Bank He stated that he will give “his total support” to the country.
Help arrival
People cheered when trucks full of soldiers arrived in the town of Amizmiz on Sunday. But they asked for more help.
“It’s a catastrophe,” said resident Salah Ancheu in the town, where a mosque’s minaret and several homes on the mountainside collapsed.
“We don’t know what the future holds for us. The aid remains insufficient,” said the 28-year-old.
Military units deployed on Monday along a paved road leading from Amizmiz to more remote mountain villages. Bulldozers and other equipment were being used to clear roads, indicated the state news agency MAP. Tourists and neighbors lined up to donate blood. In some towns, people cried as boys and helmeted police carried the dead.
Offers of support have come from all over the world. Some 100 teams, totaling 3,500 rescuers, are registered on a UN platform and ready to deploy to the African country when requested, according to Rescuers Without Borders.
(with information from EFE, AP and AFP)
Source-www.infobae.com