Morocco quake relief a 'race against time' as toll rises

Many families in Marrakech spent their second consecutive night on the streets, concerned about their safety after the deadliest earthquake to hit Morocco in over half a century left them fearing for their lives. 

"I cannot sleep there," Mouhamad Ayat Elhaj told Reuters news agency. Elhaj has slept on the streets near the city's historic medina after finding signs of damage in his house.  

"I am asking the authorities to help me and bring in an expert to assess whether it is possible for me to return to the house or not. If there is a risk, I will not return to the house," he said.

Noureddine Lahbabi, a 68-year-old with four children, also prepared to sleep outside for a second night. "It’s a painful experience. When this happens to your brother or sister, it’s really painful," he said. 

Other families found open spaces away from the medina, along the roads, to spend the night on.

Morocco's Interior Ministry updated the death toll to 2,012 late on Saturday as rescue efforts continued.

Meanwhile, at least 2,059 were injured in the quake, including 1,404 people who are in a critical condition.

A senior Red Cross official for the region, Hossam Elsharkawi, told DW earlier on Saturday that it could take the entire weekend, or even a little longer, to get a clear picture of the scope of the damage to people and property alike.

The leaders of the European Union offered their condolences to Morocco's King Mohammed IV after the devastating earthquake.

"As close friends and partners of Morocco, we are ready to assist in any way you may deem useful," the leaders said in a letter to the king.

"We are deeply saddened by the devastating consequences of this tragic event. The European Union and its member states stand in full solidarity with the people of Morocco in this difficult moment," it read.

In addition to the leaders of all 27 EU member states, the letter was also signed by European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Morocco's royal palace announced the decision late on Saturday.

"Three days of national mourning have been decided, with flags to fly at half-mast on all public buildings," said a statement published by the official MAP news agency.

King Mohammed VI chaired a meeting to discuss the disaster where he called for "accommodation, food and all other basic needs" to be made available to those who needed it — particularly orphans and the vulnerable.

"The Sovereign also expressed the sincere thanks of the kingdom of Morocco to all brotherly and friendly countries that expressed their solidarity with the Moroccan people in this situation, and many of those who expressed their readiness to provide aid in these extraordinary circumstances," the statement said.

Hospitals in and around Marrakech have urged people to donate blood to help those injured in the earthquake.

"We called upon people to donate blood last night, and a large number of individuals have responded this morning," director of blood donation and awareness convoys Mahmoud Abu Gash told the Al-Hadath news channel.

"Thanks to these continuous contributions, I am confident that we will soon have sufficient blood reserves to treat the injured."

People could be seen lining up in Marrakech throughout the day to donate blood.

Moroccan footballer Abde Ezzalzouli was among those making a donation.

Morocco's qualifying game for the African Cup of Nations has been postponed indefinitely as a result of the earthquake.

The national team had been scheduled to play against Liberia in the southern coastal city of Agadir on Saturday. 

Another qualifying game between Congo and Gambia in Marrakech on Sunday was scheduled to go ahead as planned, despite the quake. Both teams experienced the powerful tremor in Marrakech on Friday night.

Gambia coach Tom Saintfiet told the BBC World Service that he initially thought an airplane had crashed into the team's hotel.

"It seems it was only 30 seconds but it felt endless. It was really scary," Saintfiet said. "The walls were really shaking and things were falling down from the ceiling and the walls. I never in my life saw a building moving like that."

Congo's coach Paul Put said his players were in shock. "Mentally it's difficult to keep up the concentration. We had to sleep outside, near the swimming pool. It was very scary and even now a complicated situation for the players," he told the Reuters news agency.

Marrakech is hosting the game because Gambia do not have a stadium suitable for hosting international matches.

The African Cup of Nations gets underway in the Ivory Coast in January. Morocco has already qualified for the 24-team tournament.

More pictures are starting to trickle in from the areas devastated by the overnight earthquake in Morocco — from historic buildings in Marrakech to remote mountain villages.

DW has collated a selection of them below.

Most of the fatalities are concentrated in Marrakech and five provinces near the quake's epicenter in the High Atlas mountain range to the south.

Hossam Elsharkawi, regional director for the Middle East and North Africa at the Red Cross, says it will take some time before the true extent of the damage from Morocco's earthquake is evident.

"Clearly this is severe in terms of casualties and physical damage," he said in an interview with DW. "The true picture is not fully known yet. It may take up to 48 hours as these are extremely remote locations and much of the access is not available because the road network has been damaged."

"Top priorities now are search and rescue efforts to get the people who are trapped under the rubble, including the immediate emergency medical assistance and first aid," Elsharkawi said.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies official said teams from the organization were working with volunteers, civil defense and the Moroccan military.

"We're working on multiple fronts. It is, as always in these situations, a race against time. Survivors need water and food and shelter. It is cold in these mountainous regions as well, with nightfall coming in. So we're mobilizing teams to support them."

He said that Morocco's military mobilizing would assist with access amid damage to the road network, with helicopters and other such vehicles beoming available. 

More than 1,000 people have been killed and more than 1,200 injured in the earthquake that struck in Morocco's High Atlas mountains overnight.

The Interior Ministry announced on Saturday afternoon that the death toll had risen to 1,037.

More than 700 people have been critically injured.

With rescue work still in its early stages, these figures are likely to continue rising for some time as emergency workers scour the rubble for survivors and bodies.

Algeria says it will open its airspace to Morocco to allow humanitarian and medical flights to reach the quake-hit country.

There are longstanding tensions between the North African neighbors dating all the way back to Algeria's war for independence over issues including the Western Sahara territory.

Algeria broke off diplomatic relations with Morocco in 2021, citing what it described as "hostile acts."

But in a statement Saturday, Algeria's presidency said it was ready to provide humanitarian aid and offer all its material and human capabilities in solidarity with the brotherly Moroccan people, if Morocco requests such help.

The death toll from the earthquake in Morocco has now risen to 820 dead and at least 672 injured, according to the Moroccan Interior Ministry. 

According to official figures, the dead include 349 in the province of Al Haouz and 271 in the province of Taroudant.

Moroccan rescuers are currently picking through the rubble, with aid efforts underway in hard-hit areas.  

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres expressed dismay at the severity of the earthquake, saying he was "profoundly saddened," according to his spokesman.

"He addresses his most sincere condolences to the families of the victims and wishes a speedy recovery to the injured."

Guterres said the UN stood ready to support Morocco in efforst to deal with the situation.

Germany's Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW) is mobilizing for possible relief efforts in Morocco after the deadly earthquake.

"We are observing the situation and are currently preparing for a possible deployment," a spokesperson for THW said. 

Morocco has not yet requested help from the EU or Germany after the disaster.  

The head of the African Union Commission expressed "great pain" over the deadly earthquake in Morocco.

"I learnt with great sadness of the tragic consequences of the earthquake that hit the kingdom of Morocco," Commision chair Moussa Faki Mahamat said, expressing his "sincere condolences" to the king, the Moroccan people and the families of the victims.

The White House said US President Joe Biden was "deeply saddened" by the loss of life.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with all those impacted by this terrible hardship," the statement said and added: "The United States stands by Morocco and my friend King Mohammed VI at this difficult moment," it continued, adding that Washington was "ready to provide any necessary assistance for the Moroccan people."

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has been among other world leaders reacting to Morocco's deadly earthquake. 

"All my solidarity and support to the people of Morocco in the wake of this terrible earthquake... Spain is with the victims of this tragedy and its families," he wrote on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

French President Emmanuel Macron said in a social media post: "We are all devastated after the terrible earthquake in Morocco. France stands ready to help with first aid."

Russian President Vladimir Putin offered his condolences, while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also expressed his sympathy. 

"We stand by our Moroccan brothers and sisters with all our resources on this difficult day," Erdogan said in a post on social media. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country "stands in solidarity with Morocco during this tragic time."

The Vatican said the Pope Francis expressed his solidarity with the peopleof Morocco who had been impacted by the earthquake.

"The pope expresses his profound solidarity with those who are touched in the flesh and heart by this tragedy," read a telegram sent to Morocco by the Vatican's Secretary of State Pietro Parolin.

 

At least 632 people have died from the earthquake, Moroccan state TV reported, citing the Moroccan Ministry of Interior. Earlier figures put the death toll at 296. 

At least 329 people have been injured from the disaster. 

AP journalist Mosa'ab Elshamy is near Marrakech and told DW that people in cities across the country spent the night outside their homes following the earthquake and said there had been extensive damage.

"There is a sense of real tragedy … with more casualties expected, there are still people stuck under rubble in many of those villages in the Atlas Mountains."

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, along with other world leaders, offered sympathies following the deadly quake. 

Scholz said "our thoughts are with the victims of this devastating earthquake" in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. 

European Council President Charles Michel posted on X that the "EU stands ready to support Morocco in these difficult moments."  

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also offered his condolences. 

"Extremely pained by the loss of lives due to an earthquake in Morocco," Modi said on X. "In this tragic hour, my thoughts are with the people of Morocco. Condolences to those who lost their loved ones."