“We slept on the deckchairs”: Swiss couple experiences terrible earthquake in Morocco

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The suitcases were already packed and Victor Lussi (52) and his wife Karin (54) would return to Switzerland the next morning. Lussi was just in the lobby of his hotel in Marrakech when suddenly the entire building began to shake. “For the first few seconds, no one knew what was going on. But then everyone started running out of the hotel,” Lussi reports.

It was a frightening moment for the 52-year-old from Thônex GE: “I have never experienced anything like this in my entire life,” says Lussi. «It felt like someone lifted the ground, you felt the weight of the building. I still shudder when I think about it.”

Separated from his wife during the evacuation

After about a minute the horror was over, but for the Swiss the worst was not yet over: “My wife was already in the room at the time of the earthquake. I didn’t know how she was doing. I was afraid for her.” His wife was taken to the pool side of the hotel to evacuate, while Lussi himself had to wait at the main entrance.

He was finally able to contact her via the hotel Wi-Fi. “When she wrote to me that she was doing well, it was a huge relief.” For the time being, they were no longer allowed into the room. “The hotel staff brought towels and bed linen so we could sleep on the loungers.”

People slept on the streets

When the situation was a little more secure, Victor Lussi ran back to the hotel to get the most important papers and a jacket from his room. “My wife was already in her pajamas and the only thing she could take with her when she left was her cell phone.” Not a completely innocent action: “I was aware that in the event of an aftershock I would have to return immediately.”

The couple was able to return to their rooms around two o’clock. Because their hotel was built to be earthquake-resistant, there was little damage. However, during the drive to the airport they saw the scale of the disaster: “Whole families spent the night on the side of the road and even on the roundabouts. Many people also slept on the floor at the airport.”

However, operations at the airport can continue. “You don’t see any major damage,” said the 52-year-old. Only duty-free shops would have taken a hit. They remained closed.

Source: Blick