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Aftershocks and buried roads are making rescue work more difficult, and the number of victims is likely to rise. An overview.
Aftershocks in Morocco: After the devastating earthquake with thousands of victims, there was an aftershock in the North African country. Morocco was shaken by a new quake on Sunday morning around 9 a.m. local time, Nasser Jabour, head of a department at the National Institute of Geophysics, told the Moroccan news site Hespress. The US Earthquake Observatory USGS recorded a magnitude of 3.9. According to Hespress, the epicenter of the aftershock was again about 80 kilometers southwest of Marrakesh.
The victims: The official death toll has risen to more than 2,100. At least as many people were injured. The Moroccan Interior Ministry assumes that the number of victims is likely to continue to rise. Hundreds of people are still missing, the Al-Arabiya news channel reported. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 300,000 people in Marrakech and surrounding areas are affected by the accident.
The rescue work: According to Morocco’s Interior Ministry, most of the damage occurs outside the cities. In large areas from the Atlas Mountains to Marrakesh, buildings and cultural monuments were partly completely destroyed. Helpers find it difficult to make progress in the sometimes remote mountain regions. There is also still a risk of aftershocks, which could cause damaged houses to collapse completely.
Legend:
Survivors are still being found under the rubble in Morocco. Image from Tafeghaghte south of Marrakech.
Keystone/EPA/JALAL MORCHIDI
The situation in the mountain areas: The most affected villages in the Atlas Mountains are difficult for rescue workers to reach. Most of the victims so far have been in Al-Haouz province, near the epicenter. Near the small town of Moulay Brahim, parts of a cliff collapsed onto a road that connects Marrakesh with the Atlas Mountains. It is therefore blocked. In remote mountain villages, rescue workers use heavy equipment to dig through the rubble. A small mountain village in the province of Chicaoua was almost completely destroyed. According to Moroccan television channel TV 2M, 65 bodies were recovered in the village.
The chances of survival: A race against time has begun in Morocco. When searching for victims of an earthquake, experts speak of a time window of approximately 72 hours. This applies as a guide value, which is the longest a person can get by without water.
Three days of national mourning: Morocco has declared three days of national mourning. National flags at all public institutions should be flown at half-mast, as the state news agency (MAP) reported, citing a statement from the royal court. Previously, King Mohammed VI. Accordingly, a crisis meeting was held with security officials to discuss how to proceed.
Support from Switzerland: Switzerland has offered its support to Morocco. An eight-person team from the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Corps is ready, the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (EDA) said at the request of the Keystone-SDA news agency. Morocco has not yet responded to the offer of help. Switzerland also offered Morocco assistance for emergency shelter, water treatment and distribution, sanitation and hygiene materials.
Help from other countries: Spain has flown a special military unit to Morocco. The Ministry of Defense announced on the short message service Numerous fire departments from Spain also sent helpers to the disaster area. Auxiliary staff are also available in various other countries – including Germany and Israel. However, they cannot take action without a request for help from Morocco.