More than 2,000 individuals died in a deadly earthquake that occurred in Morocco. Due to the destruction of their homes, those who survived were forced to spend the night outside. The High Atlas Mountains are where the earthquake occurred. In the nearby villages, residents lived in homes made of mud, stone, and wood.
Their homes were destroyed by this deadly earthquake, and several mosques even collapsed. Additionally, Marrakech sustained significant damage. According to the authorities, 2,012 people perished and 2,059 people were injured, 1,404 of them were seriously hurt. On the scale used to assess earthquake strength, this deadly earthquake had a value of 6.8. About 72 kilometers southwest of Marrakech, it began.
A Father’s Heartbreaking Tale: A Community’s Grief
Rescue personnel searched under the collapsed structures in the Amizmiz community. Broken chunks of buildings blocked the roadways. About ten dead bodies with blankets on them were outside a hospital, and their families were inconsolable.
Mohamed Azaw, a resident of Amizmiz, claimed that while he was able to get his children out of the house as soon as the earthquake began, his neighbors were unable to do the same. Sadly, nobody in the family made it out alive. Although they discovered the father and boy dead, they continued to search for the mother and girl.
In Amizmiz, you could see carpets and furniture protruding out of a collapsed structure as rescuers perched on top of it. To purchase items from the sole store that was open, customers had to wait in a huge line. Going to another village from Amizmiz was difficult due to the large rocks on the route.
Nearly all of the homes of Asni, which is located around 40 kilometers south of Marrakech, were destroyed. People nearby had no food to eat and were forced to sleep outside because their roofs had collapsed.
The earthquake was particularly severe in Tansghart, another community in the same region. Two mosque towers collapsed, and other residences suffered cracks. Abdellatif Ait Bella, one of the men, was seriously harmed, but his family lacked a place to transport him. Furthermore, they had no food.
Effects in Southern Spain
Southern Spain was affected by the earthquake because it was so strong there. More than 300,000 individuals in Marrakech and the surrounding areas were reportedly impacted, according to the World Health Organization.
In Marrakech, there was a camera that captured the moment the earthquake began. When many noticed the ground trembling, they fled for cover. Dust and building fragments fell as they fled through the winding lanes.
Al-jazeera reported that a mosque tower collapsed at Jemaa al-Fna Square in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Marrakech’s old city. In that neighborhood, a few houses also collapsed. While they waited for large machines to assist, they used their hands to remove the damaged components.
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Morocco announced that it would observe three days of mourning and lower its flag to half-staff. To assist those in the afflicted areas, the army would deliver food, tents, and blankets.
Turkey, which had significant earthquakes in February, said it would assist. Despite their issues with Morocco, Algeria promised to allow flights carrying aid and medical supplies.
Since this deadly earthquake was not particularly deep in the earth, more damage might have been done. Since a significant earthquake killed at least 12,000 people in Morocco in 1960, this one was the deadliest to ever occur there.
According to a lecturer from the University of Southampton, the area’s old structures frequently collapsed because they were constructed improperly or with dated materials.
The International Monetary Fund and World Bank were scheduled to hold a significant meeting in Marrakech, but they postponed it because they wanted to concentrate on assisting the Moroccan people during this challenging time.
