10-9-2023 (AMIZMIZ) In the wake of a catastrophic earthquake that rattled Morocco, survivors found themselves huddled together amidst the High Atlas Mountains on Saturday night, enduring the elements. This seismic event, the most deadly the country has witnessed in over six decades, claimed the lives of more than 2,000 individuals and left villages in ruins.
Neighbours and rescue workers continued their tireless search for survivors buried under the debris of homes constructed from mud bricks, stone, and rough wood. The temblor, which struck late on Friday (September 8), caused significant structural damage to the historic old city of Marrakesh.
According to the Interior Ministry, the earthquake’s toll stands at 2,012 lives lost and 2,059 individuals injured, with 1,404 in critical condition. The US Geological Survey measured the quake at a magnitude of 6.8, with an epicenter located approximately 72 kilometers southwest of Marrakesh.
In the village of Amizmiz, near the quake’s epicenter, rescue personnel were seen combing through rubble using their bare hands, with fallen masonry obstructing narrow streets. Outside a local hospital, around 10 bodies were covered with blankets as grieving relatives stood vigil.
One resident, Mohamed Azaw, shared his harrowing experience, saying, “When I felt the earth shaking beneath my feet and the house leaning, I rushed to get my kids out. But my neighbors couldn’t. Unfortunately, no one was found alive in that family. The father and son were found dead, and they are still looking for the mother and the daughter.”
In Amizmiz, rescuers navigated the collapsed floors of a building, with remnants of carpet and furniture protruding from the rubble. Residents faced immediate challenges, with a lengthy queue forming outside the only open shop as people sought supplies. Fallen boulders blocked a road from Amizmiz to a nearby village.
The Asni area, located approximately 40 kilometers south of Marrakesh, bore the brunt of the destruction, with nearly all the houses damaged. Villagers were preparing to spend the night outdoors, grappling with a scarcity of food due to collapsed roofs in kitchens.
Montasir Itri, an Asni resident, spoke of the ongoing search for survivors: “Our neighbors are under the rubble, and people are working hard to rescue them using available means in the village.”
The village of Tansghart in the Ansi area, situated on the slopes of a valley as the road from Marrakesh ascends into the High Atlas, suffered the most severe damage witnessed by Reuters. Houses, once picturesque, clung to the steep hillside, but the earthquake cracked them open. Those still standing were marred by missing chunks of wall or plaster, and two mosque minarets had toppled.
Abdellatif Ait Bella, a laborer, lay injured and unable to move or speak, his head bandaged from debris-related wounds. His wife, Saida Bodchich, worried about the future of their family of six, as he was the sole breadwinner. She said, “We have no house to take him to and have had no food since yesterday. We can rely on nobody but God.” The village is already mourning 10 fatalities, including two teenage girls.
The earthquake’s tremors reverberated as far away as Huelva and Jaen in southern Spain. The World Health Organization estimated that over 300,000 people in Marrakesh and its surrounding areas were affected.
CCTV footage captured the moment the earthquake struck in Marrakesh, with individuals abruptly looking around, jumping up, and fleeing for shelter into alleys as dust and debris cascaded around them. In the heart of the old city, a UNESCO World Heritage site, a mosque minaret had fallen in Jemaa al-Fna Square. Houses in the densely packed old city crumbled, and residents used their hands to clear debris as they awaited heavy equipment.
Morocco declared three days of national mourning, during which the national flag will be flown at half-staff across the nation, according to a statement from the royal court on Saturday. The Moroccan armed forces will dispatch rescue teams to provide clean drinking water, food supplies, tents, and blankets to the affected areas.
International solidarity has poured in, with nations such as Turkey, which faced powerful earthquakes in February that claimed over 50,000 lives, expressing their support. Algeria, despite severed ties with Morocco in 2021 amid Western Sahara conflict tensions, has opened its airspace for humanitarian and medical flights.
The earthquake, recorded at a depth of 18.5 kilometers, typically results in more destruction than deeper quakes of the same magnitude. It marks Morocco’s deadliest earthquake since 1960, when an estimated 12,000 lives were lost, as per the US Geological Survey.
Mohammad Kashani, an associate professor of structural and earthquake engineering at the University of Southampton, drew parallels between the scenes in Morocco and those witnessed in Turkey in February. He noted that the region is rife with old and historical buildings, primarily constructed with masonry. The collapsed reinforced concrete structures, he observed, were either old or substandard.
Marrakesh is scheduled to host the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank from October 9. In response to queries about the planned meetings, an IMF spokesperson stated, “Our sole focus at this time is on the people of Morocco and the authorities who are dealing with this tragedy.”
