Morocco Earthquake Death Toll Continues to Climb as Rescue Operations Intensify

By Global News Service from the Peoples Dispatch / Globetrotter News Service

The death toll from the devastating earthquake that struck Morocco on Friday, September 8, has crossed 2,800 as of September 11. Government authorities and rescue agencies are continuing to make efforts to find those alive and stuck inside the rubble as well as recover the bodies of those killed across the country. The government has declared three days of national mourning.

Countries across the world have expressed condolences and solidarity with the Moroccan people. Several countries, including Oman, Spain, Kuwait, Tunisia, the United States, Turkey, and France, have offered or are in the process of dispatching search and rescue personnel, as well as medical assistance and material aid to Morocco.

The 6.8 magnitude earthquake is the deadliest to hit Morocco in the last 60 years. It had its epicenter in the High Atlas mountains in the Al Haouz province, about 75 kilometers from Marrakech, Morocco’s fourth largest city. The provinces of Ouarzazate, Azilal, Chichaoua, and Taroudant provinces have also suffered extensive damage. Dozens of small, remote rural villages and towns in the region have endured massive destruction, high death tolls, and, in some cases, have been completely leveled. It is feared that many people are still trapped inside the rubble in these areas, and rescue agencies have reportedly experienced difficulties reaching some of them.