Earthquake in Morocco
German mountaineer was at the epicenter – and reported on the dramatic night
Hobby mountaineer Winfried Friedel, 60, on his climb in the Atlas Mountains before the earthquake
The amateur mountaineer Winfried Friedel from Hesse was at the epicenter of the earthquake in the High Atlas. Here he reports on the dramatic night.
Mr. Friedel, you noticed that Earthquake just as you were on your way to the highest peak of the High Atlas, Toubkal. What kind of moment was that?
It was the night before climbing the summit and I was sleeping in the room of a stone guesthouse at 3200 meters. During the night I was woken up by a rumbling noise. At first I thought: Someone is flushing something down the toilet. But it got stronger and stronger and the earth began to tremble. This became such a violent shaking that I had to hold on tight to keep from falling out of bed. Then I understood that this was an earthquake.
What was your first thought?
I was sure: I would be buried. If even such a massive house shakes, I’ll definitely end up under rubble. So I grabbed my glasses with the thought: If I’m pulled out of the rubble, I want to at least be able to see something. I didn’t panic, but rather a numb, calm feeling. Then I quickly ran outside. Behind me came other mountaineers and their guides. We were about 30 people.
Panic attack and tears
How did the others react?
A few women cried, a man had a panic attack, vomited and fell. Others carried him out of the house. We then simply stood in front of the house, the ground shook beneath us and millions of stones broke out of the mountains on all sides. It was pitch black and everyone became very quiet. At some point we looked at the sky and thought together about which constellations were above us. Actually absurd in the face of danger. It seemed like a miracle that we weren’t hit by the rubble and the house stayed standing.
How did you spend the rest of the night?
We waited until the shaking was over and no more stones were flying. Then we went into the house, got blankets, mattresses and clothes and spent the night outside until sunrise. We still had electricity and internet in the building. And then I saw messages from friends in Morocco who knew where I was. It was through them that I first found out that I was at the epicenter of the earthquake. And my children wrote: Dad, are you still alive? I calmed everyone down first. The hospitality of the guides was incredible, they even prepared breakfast for us. Then we started the descent into the mountain village.
Destroyed villages
What did you see on the descent?
The road was blocked at one point by a rock almost the size of a house. In other places you could see impact holes, they looked like craters. And we also passed through a village where there was a huge stone stuck in the roof of a house. Many houses were destroyed and people helped each other. The place we wanted to go to, Imlil, looked like a ghost village. Dirt, dust, collapsed houses. No water, no electricity, no internet. Then I stayed one night and thought to myself: What are you doing now? The next day I went to Marrakech, where I am still right now.
What is the situation in Marrakech?
I’m currently sitting on the roof terrace of a café in the old town and when I look around I see that houses have collapsed in some places. But the life, the hustle and bustle here, is as lively as it was before the earthquake. There are fewer tourists here, that’s obvious. Many people probably didn’t arrive or left early. But life here in Marrakech continues as normal. There are still tent cities outside the city for people who have lost their homes. But as far as I can tell, everything is being done, especially in Marrakesh, to make it look like it did before as quickly as possible. Probably also for the tourists. But the Moroccans I meet here like how the cleanup work is going.