After the earthquake in Morocco, the need of many survivors is great: they are faced with the ruins of their existence, and in some regions food and water are becoming scarce. The death toll has now risen to almost 3,000.
After the devastating earthquake in Morocco, the number of confirmed deaths has risen to 2,901. As the Moroccan Interior Ministry confirmed in the afternoon, 5,530 injuries have been counted so far. The majority of the dead are already buried.
The quake on late Friday evening was the worst in Morocco in decades. It had a magnitude of 6.8. King Mohammed VI ordered three days of national mourning. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 300,000 people in Marrakech and surrounding areas are affected by the accident.
Fight for survival in Earthquake areas
On the fourth day after the severe earthquake, the hope of finding any survivors under the rubble is increasingly dwindling. Dozens of villages were destroyed, the Moroccan news site Hespress reported. Not only do the residents have to recover and bury the dead, there is also a lack of food and water.
Soldiers and international helpers are still only slowly making their way to the destroyed and massively affected villages in the Atlas Mountains.
According to information from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), around 100,000 children are affected by the disaster. Thousands of houses were destroyed in the country. As a result, many families have become homeless and have to spend the currently cold nights outdoors.
Pressure on government
The Moroccan government is under increasing pressure to accept more international aid. So far, the North African country has only accepted aid from four countries. Offers from Germany have not yet been accepted either.
“We want to help quickly after this terrible natural disaster,” said Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser. The Federal Agency for Technical Relief is preparing aid deliveries to support the population in the affected areas.
Atlas Mountains popular with tourists
A resident of Asni, writing for a local newspaper, blames the government. “She doesn’t want the houses here to be built earthquake-proof – for fear that they might lose their charm for tourists.” That is why the region was so badly affected by the disaster.
The Atlas Mountains, with their beautiful landscape and villages built on the red mountain slopes, are a popular travel region. But according to experts, the houses are not built robustly enough to withstand strong vibrations. However, earthquakes are relatively rare in North Africa.
King Mohammed VI announced a visit to the affected areas, according to reports from the Arabic TV channel Al-Arabiya. He also wanted to visit a hospital in Marrakech.