A rare, powerful earthquake in Morocco has killed more than 2,000 people and injured another 2,000 or more, with the death toll expected to rise as rescuers struggle to reach survivors through the rubble of toppled buildings.
The magnitude-6.8 quake, Morocco’s deadliest in more than 60 years and the strongest in 120 years, struck the country’s High Atlas mountains late on Sept. 8, damaging buildings in Marrakech, the closest city to the epicenter, which was some 45 miles southwest.
The country’s Interior Ministry said on Sept. 9 that at least 2,012 people had been killed and another 2,059 injured, with most of the fatalities in mountain regions. Among the injured, 1,404 were in critical condition, the ministry said.
In the village of Amizmiz, located near the epicenter, rescue workers picked through rubble while toppled masonry filled the streets.
Grieving relatives stood near a hospital, where around 10 bodies lay covered in blankets.
“When I felt the earth shaking beneath my feet and the house leaning, I rushed to get my kids out. But my neighbors couldn’t,” local resident Mohamed Azaw told Reuters. “Unfortunately no one was found alive in that family. The father and son were found dead and they are still looking for the mother and the daughter.”
In the city of Marrakech, where 13 fatalities were reported, the quake sent people fleeing into darkened streets in terror.
Morocco state television broadcast images of people clustering in the streets, many wrapping themselves in blankets as they tried to sleep outside, wary of going back into buildings that they feared might still crumble.
Street camera footage in Marrakech showed the moment the earth began to shake, as men suddenly looked around and jumped up, and others ran for shelter into an alleyway and then fled as dust and debris tumbled around them.
State television footage from the Moulay Ibrahim area, some 25 miles south of Marrakech, showed dozens of houses collapsed at the foothills of a mountain. Groups of women stood in the street while some residents dug graves.
Montasir Itri, a resident of the village of Asni, near the epicenter, said most houses there were damaged.
“Our neighbors are under the rubble and people are working hard to rescue them using available means in the village,” he told Reuters.
The Moroccan military deployed aircraft, helicopters, and drones, while emergency services mobilized aid efforts to the hardest areas.
Roads leading to the mountain region around the epicenter were jammed with vehicles and blocked with fallen rocks, slowing rescue efforts.
Trucks loaded with blankets, camp cots, and lighting equipment were trying to region that hard-hit area, according to state news agency MAP.
Morocco will observe three days of mourning and flags will be flown at half-staff on public buildings due to the deadly earthquake, according to the country’s Royal Palace.
It was Morocco’s deadliest earthquake since 1960, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
In 1960, a powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 5.8 hit near Agadir in Morocco, with the temblor estimated to have killed at least 12,000 people. That earthquake prompted changes in construction rules in Morocco, but many buildings, especially houses outside urban areas, are still not strong enough to withstand major seismic activity.
Turkey, where powerful earthquakes in February killed more than 50,000 people, said it’s ready to provide support.
Algeria, which broke off diplomatic ties with Morocco in 2021, said it would open airspace for humanitarian and medical flights.
President Joe Biden issued a statement offering his condolences in the earthquake’s aftermath and offered to bring assistance.
“The United States stands by Morocco and my friend King Mohammed VI at this difficult moment.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued a similar statement:
“The United States is ready to provide any necessary assistance as Morocco responds to this tragedy. Our thoughts are with the Moroccan people, and we offer our unwavering support and solidarity to our Moroccan partners at this tragic time.”
