Morocco mourns over 1,300 killed in quake

Published September 10, 2023
Moulay Brahim: The minaret of a mosque is seen behind damaged or destroyed houses, following an earthquake in this town, in Morocco’s Al-Haouz province, on Saturday.—AFP
Moulay Brahim: The minaret of a mosque is seen behind damaged or destroyed houses, following an earthquake in this town, in Morocco’s Al-Haouz province, on Saturday.—AFP

RABAT: Morocco on Sat­ur­day declared three days of national mourning after a deadly earthquake overnight killed more than 1,300 people, an announcement from the royal palace said.

“Three days of national mourning have been decided, with flags to fly at half-mast on all public buildings,” said a statement published by the official MAP news agency after King Mohammed VI chaired a meeting to discuss the disaster.

Friday night’s earthquake was Morocco’s deadliest in decades and has killed at least 1,305 people, the vast majority in Al-Haouz, the epicentre, and Taroudant provinces, as per updated interior ministry figures on Saturday.

Another 1,832 people were injured, including many in critical condition, the ministry said as troops and emergency services scrambled to reach remote mountain villages where casualties are still feared trapped.

Al-Haouz and Taroudant provinces ‘worst-hit’; rival Algeria opens airspace for aid flights; FO says all Pakistanis are safe

The 6.8 magnitude quake hit a mountainous area 72 kilometres (45 miles) southwest of the tourist city of Marrakesh, the US Geological Survey reported.

With strong tremors also felt in the coastal cities of Rabat, Casablanca and Essaouira, the quake caused widespread damage and sent terrified residents and tourists scrambling to safety in the middle of the night.

It was the strongest-ever quake to hit the North African kingdom, and one expert described it as the region’s “biggest in more than 120 years”.

Civil defence Colonel Hicham Choukri, who is heading relief operations, told state television the epicentre and strength of the earthquake have created “an exceptional emergency situation”.

Residents take shelter at a roundabout following the earthquake.—AFP
Residents take shelter at a roundabout following the earthquake.—AFP

‘Unbearable’ screams

Faisal Badour, an engineer, said he felt the quake three times in his building in Marrakesh.

“There are families who are still sleeping outside because we were so scared of the force of this earthquake,” he said.

“The screaming and crying was unbearable.” Frenchman Mic­hael Bizet, 43, who owns three traditional riad houses in Marrakesh’s old town, told AFP he was in bed when the quake struck.

Footage on social media showed part of a minaret collapsed on Jemaa el-Fna square in the historic city.

The USGS PAGER system, which provides preliminary assessments on the impact of earthquakes, issued a “red alert” for economic losses, saying extensive damage is probable.

The Red Cross said it was mobilising resources to support the Moroccan Red Crescent, but its Middle East and North Africa director, Hossam Elsharkawi, warned: “We are looking at many months if not years of response.”

Algeria opens air space

Morocco’s neighbour and regional rival Algeria announced it was suspending a two-year-old ban on all Moroccan flights thro­ugh its airspace to enable aid deliveries and medical evacuations.

Algerian authorities “have decided to open the airspace to flights transporting humanitarian aid and injured” from the quake, the president’s office said in a statement.

Algeria closed its airspace to all Moroccan aircraft in Septe­mber 2021 after having cut diplomatic ties with its longtime foe.

Despite the rivalry between the North African neighbours, Algerian authorities were “fully prepared to provide humanitarian aid and mobilise all material and human resources in solidarity with the brotherly Moroccan people upon request from the Kingdom of Morocco”, the statement said.

All Pakistanis safe: FO

Pakistan has expressed solidarity with Morocco and expressed heartfelt condolences over the tragic loss of lives, APP reported.

In a statement, Foreign Office Spokesperson Mum­taz Zahra Baloch said Pak­istan has offered assistance to the calamity-hit nation.

The embassy in Rabat has reached out to the Pakistani community and as per initial reports, all Pakistani nationals were safe. “We will continue to monitor the situation to facilitate them in the wake of this tragedy,” she added.

Separately, President Arif Alvi, Caretaker Prime Minister Anwa­a­rul Haq Kakar and former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari also expressed grief over the loss of lives.

The PM expressed condolences to the government and the people of Morocco, PM Office Media Wing said in a statement.

President Alvi expressed solidarity with the government and the people of Morocco and said in this difficult time, his sympathies were with the affected people.

Mr Bhutto-Zardari said he was saddened and shocked by the disaster.

Published in Dawn, September 10th, 2023

Opinion

Editorial

Property valuation
Updated 31 Oct, 2024

Property valuation

Market valuation rates will not help boost tax revenues without plugging such loopholes in the system.
Hitting a wall
31 Oct, 2024

Hitting a wall

PAKISTAN still has a long way to go in defeating polio. Despite our decades-long fight against the debilitating...
Kurram violence
31 Oct, 2024

Kurram violence

DESPITE years of intermittent and bloody conflict in Kurram, the state has been unable to bring lasting peace to ...
Court business
Updated 30 Oct, 2024

Court business

The unity and commonality of purpose on display in the full court meeting are what will help the SC endure.
UNRWA ban
30 Oct, 2024

UNRWA ban

NOT content with the war of extermination it is executing against the Palestinian people, Israel now wants to ensure...
Cricket changes
30 Oct, 2024

Cricket changes

WIN or lose, Pakistan cricket seems to be embroiled in a constant state of flux. Just when things seemed to be...