Morocco is in deep mourning, holding funerals for the victims of the catastrophic earthquake which decimated large parts of the country. The current official count stands at over 2,000 deaths, a number expected to rise as search operations continue.
The earthquake, which struck late Friday night, measured a magnitude of 7 according to the Moroccan Center for Scientific and Technical Research (6.8 per the U.S. Geological Survey). This makes it the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Morocco. The Ministry of Interior announced on Saturday evening that the quake resulted in 2,012 fatalities and another 2,059 injuries, of which 1,404 are in critical condition.
The province of Al Haouz was the epicenter and the most affected area, with 1,293 casualties, followed by the Taroudant province reporting 452 deaths. Entire villages in these regions, located southwest of the tourist city of Marrakech, were obliterated.
A devastated Hassan, a resident of Moulay Ibrahim in the High Atlas, who lost his wife and four children, expressed his grief, saying, “I have lost everything. I just want to disconnect from the world right now.”
Initial Funeral Ceremonies
In the highlands of a village of about 3,000 residents, distraught Bushra dried her tears as she watched men digging graves for the deceased. “My relative’s grandchildren died,” she said chokingly, further describing the quake’s devastation as “a ball of fire consuming everything in its path.”
The Royal Cabinet declared a national mourning period of three days, with world leaders expressing their shock and condolences.
Years” of Assistance Ahead
The International Red Cross warns that Morocco’s need for aid is immense. Hossam Al-Sharqawi, director of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in the Middle East and North Africa, cautioned that recovery won’t be a matter of “a week or two but potentially months, even years.”
Almost entirely destroyed was the village of Tafghaght, situated about 50 kilometers from the earthquake’s epicenter and around 60 kilometers southwest of Marrakech. Few buildings remain in this mountainous village. Sheikh Omar Benhana, 72, voiced his shock after losing three of his grandchildren and their mother, lamenting, “Just a short while ago, we were playing together.”
On Saturday, numerous residents headed to cemeteries to bury around 70 bodies. Aerial footage broadcasted on television displayed entire villages and their mud houses in Al Haouz completely ruined. The Ministry of Interior reiterated that “public authorities remain on high alert to expedite rescue and evacuation operations.”
In Marrakech, the streets of Mellah, the historic Jewish quarter, were filled with debris. Many spent another night outdoors, fearing their already damaged homes would collapse.
Residents of Rabat, Casablanca, Agadir, and Essaouira also felt the tremors, prompting terrified inhabitants to flee to the streets around midnight, fearing their homes might crumble.
This disaster is the deadliest earthquake in Morocco since the one that devastated the city of Agadir on the country’s western coast on February 29, 1960, killing approximately 15,000 people, a third of its population.
