Earthquake of the century with more than 2,000 deaths: but the king of Morocco hardly allows international helpers to enter the country

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Panic, sadness, horror and despair spread quickly through WhatsApp and social networks. Even before rescue units arrive in the affected areas and local authorities can assess the scale of the disaster, the world is already witnessing human tragedy.

The scenes come from the medieval old town of Marrakech, from mountain villages, from market squares. People run through the streets in panic as the old buildings collapse around them like houses of cards. They scream and sob. The horror can be read on their faces.

Where only minutes earlier there were houses and entire families were sleeping, people with flashlights are digging up rubble in the hope of finding buried people. With empty eyes, survivors tell how they lost their relatives during the earthquake. Bodies are wrapped in colorful blankets, lined up and taken to mass graves as the crowd camps out in the open for fear of aftershocks. Small miracles in earthquake horror end up online: a baby is rescued from a collapsed building, wrapped in cloth and handed over to his father.

The earthquake wakes people from their sleep

It was Friday evening, at exactly 11:11 p.m., when violent earthquakes lifted the ground and a loud rumbling startled people from their sleep. The epicenter is located in the Atlas Mountains at a depth of 18.5 kilometers. The geophone in the Helmholtz Center Potsdam measures a magnitude of 6.9 on the Richter scale. An earthquake of the century for the North African country. The tremors also shook the city of Marrakech, 70 kilometers away, destroying large parts of the old city. The so-called Medina is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The earthquake is felt in Casablanca, in the capital Rabat, and even in Algeria and Portugal. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that more than 300,000 Moroccans were affected by the earthquake.

The situation in the Atlas Mountains is particularly desperate. “The most affected areas are remote and mountainous and therefore difficult to reach,” the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said. Meanwhile, the earth continues to shake.

The number of deaths is increasing every hour. On Sunday morning, Morocco reported 2,012 deaths and 2,059 injuries, with more than 1,400 fighting for their lives. But the exact number of victims has not yet been determined. This is expected to be much higher. In some places no help has yet arrived. King Mohammed VI declared three days of national mourning.

Aid organizations and governments offer help

A few hours after the first earthquake, the world is already mobilizing. Private aid organizations, NGOs and governments provide emergency aid to Morocco. The EU countries, the US and China express their condolences and extend a hand.

The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) would provide emergency shelter, water purification and distribution, sanitation and hygiene materials. Doctors Without Borders is in the starting blocks, just like the Austrian armed forces. Turkey provides 265 experienced emergency services and 1,000 tents.

The German technical aid organization is also preparing for deployment. Enemy Algeria opens its airspace to humanitarian aid. Aid missions were also offered from Italy, France, Israel and the US. Everyone is waiting for a sign from the king. Because no entry is allowed without an official request for assistance from the monarch.

Rescue teams blocked

“The Moroccan government is blocking all international rescue teams,” Arnaud Fraisse, media spokesperson for the French organization ‘Secouristes sans frontieres’, complained to the French media.

The clock is ticking. The first 48 to 72 hours after the earthquake are crucial, Caroline Holt, spokeswoman for the German Red Cross, told Al Jazeera news channel. Julian Hidalgo also warns about this. “Time is running out,” said the coordinator of the Spanish dog team of the Seville Fire Department. “The chances of finding survivors under the rubble are getting smaller by the hour.”

Source: Blick