With many roads still blocked by landslides, some Moroccan villagers loaded donkeys with supplies to take to communities in remote areas inaccessible by vehicle, while others picked through the ruins of their homes and grieved lost family members.
The 6.8 magnitude quake that struck the High Atlas Mountains late on Friday killed at least 2,901 people and injured 5,530, according to the latest official figures, making it Morocco’s deadliest since 1960 and most powerful since at least 1900.
At a road side, Iydouhmad Mohamed, 42, from the remote High Atlas village of Agndiz, yesterday sorted through bundles of relief supplies for his village 12km away, which could only be reached by donkey.
“Many people died in my village. Some families have lost 15 relatives. Others 12 or seven,” he said.
“We especially need tents. What we have is not enough. People including children are sleeping out in the open air only covered with blankets.”
Morocco’s army is leading relief efforts, backed by aid groups and teams sent by four other countries, but the steep, rugged terrain and damaged roads have made the response patchy, with some of the worst-hit hamlets the last to receive help. Field hospitals and shelters have been set up in more accessible sites.
Abdallah Houssein, 40, from the High Atlas village of Zawiyate said, “There is no road here. No one can remove the boulders which collapsed from the mountain.”
Reuters reporters said there was a noticeable increase yesterday in the number of troops, police and relief workers near the epicentre. Tent camps were being set up or expanded, field hospitals were busy and helicopters flew overhead. Medics treated broken bones, cuts and trauma injuries from falling buildings as well as assisting people with chronic conditions such as diabetes, with medical supplies scarce.
l The Absentee Funeral Prayer will be performed across Bahrain after Friday prayers for the victims of the earthquake. The prayers will be performed on the directives of His Majesty King Hamad. The Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs assigned the Sunni and Jaffari Endowments Directorates to issue a circular to all khateebs and mosques.
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