MARRAKECH, Morocco (AP) — Morocco worked Sunday to rescue survivors and prayed for victims of the country’s strongest earthquake in more than a century…
Morocco worked Sunday to rescue survivors and prayed for victims of the country’s strongest earthquake in more than a century, while soldiers and aid workers brought water and supplies to mountain villages in ruins. More than 2,000 people are dead — a number that is expected to rise.
Those left homeless by the destruction of Friday night’s earthquake slept outside Saturday, in the streets of the ancient city of Marrakech or under makeshift canopies in Atlas Mountain towns like Moulay Brahim, among the hardest-hit. The worst destruction is in small, rural communities that are hard for rescuers to reach because of the mountainous terrain.
The magnitude-6.8 earthquake sent people racing from their beds into the streets and toppled buildings in mountainous villages and cities not built to withstand such a mighty quake. Some 2,012 people were confirmed dead and at least 2,059 more people were injured — 1,404 critically — Morocco’s Interior Ministry reported Saturday night.
“We felt a huge shake like it was doomsday,” Moulay Brahim resident Ayoub Toudite said. “Ten seconds and everything was gone.”
Flags were lowered across Morocco, as King Mohammed VI ordered three days of national mourning starting Sunday. The army mobilized specialized search and rescue teams, and the king ordered water, food rations and shelter to be provided to those who lost their homes.
The king called for mosques across the kingdom to hold prayers Sunday for the victims, many of whom were buried Saturday amid the frenzy of rescue work nearby.
Aid offers poured in from around the world, and the U.N. said it was coordinating with Moroccan authorities about how international partners can provide support. The king offered thanks but no clear message about whether Morocco would welcome foreign rescuers.
The epicenter of Friday’s quake — the biggest to hit the North African country in 120 years — was near the town of Ighil in Al Haouz Province, roughly 70 kilometers (44 miles) south of Marrakech.
