A severe and devastating earthquake struck near the town of Oukaïmedene in Western Morocco on September 8 at approximately 11 p.m.
The earthquake struck at the magnitude of -6.8, making it one of the deadliest earthquakes the country has seen in decades, and damaging ancient and historic parts of Marrakech.
The devastating incident killed nearly 3,000 citizens while leaving more than 5,000 injured. According to The New York Times, the death toll has risen to 2,946 as of September 14 (1,604 in Al-Haouz). Many were trapped beneath the rubble. With the mass of injuries and death, many could not receive medical help in time to be saved.
The damages were heavy and extensive. As reported by BBC news, provinces such as Al-Haouz and Taroudant were the most impacted. Houses in the village across the High Atlas Mountains were flattened and destroyed. Residents who live in traditionally built homes, fragile mud brick homes, have suffered the most damages as the mud bricks could not sustain the harsh magnitude of the earthquake.
The government has quickly responded to their citizens’ despair by providing emergency housing and are willing to spend upwards of millions to rebuild the damaged areas. However, some citizens believe it to be unnecessary and a waste of time. Nevertheless many homes still lack basic necessities such as running water and electricity, which the Moroccan government has been struggling to restore
Many devastating survivor stories were shared in which citizens talked about their suffering. “….there was no electricity and the air was full of dust…My heart was pounding like I was having a heart attack” , shared middle aged electrician Abderahim who had been sleeping along with his other family members at the time of the quake. They were located on the safer side of their home, as the other side of their home came crashing down. Luckily they did not undergo major injuries, but the terror and trauma was incomprehensible nonetheless.
The last time the country suffered such a harsh earthquake was back in 1960. The disaster left the coastal city of Agadir in complete disrepair. Many countries, such as Spain, Qatar, and Germany, have offered to send rescue teams and aid. Australia will send $1 million AUD (Around $640,000 USD) to aid Morocco. The Moroccan government is responding slowly to help while also bringing the citizens back to stability as they heal from this terrible event.
