Emergency services around the High Atlas mountains of Morocco are still battling damaged roads and rubbled towns in their attempts to save people trapped under collapsed buildings after a 6.8-magnitude quake struck shortly after 11 p.m. local time last Friday night.
Many are believed to remain trapped in rubble as rescuers continue searching for survivors among the collapsed houses.
The death toll has now surpassed 2,800, and continues to climb. It is the deadliest quake to hit the country of more than 37 million in decades. Thousands more people have been injured, as rescue efforts struggle to reach affected areas, with some towns only accessible by foot or donkey.
Roads have been blocked by debris and damaged, as rescue organisations try desperately to save people within the first 72 hours after a quake — a period critical to saving lives. According to some operations, the survival rate for victims will have fallen to between five to ten per cent Monday night.
The quake’s epicentre was located in the High Atlas region, roughly about 72 kilometres southwest of Marrakech — a popular tourist destination with a population of 840,000 people.
According to the US Geological Survey, Friday night’s tragedy was the most powerful quake seen in the surrounding area of Marrakech in more than 120 years.
Foreign governments including Israel, Algeria, Taiwan and Tunisia have offered to send aid and support, however, only offers from four countries have been accepted — Spain, Qatar, Britain and the United Arab Emirates.
Morocco’s King Mohammed VI thanked the governments of Spain, Qatar, the UK, and Emirates for sending aid.
According to an interior ministry statement posted by state broadcaster 2M, the King said, “Moroccan authorities conducted a careful assessment of the needs in the field, taking into account that a lack of coordination in such cases would be counterproductive.”
“On these basis, the Moroccan authorities responded, at this particular stage, to the offers of support made by friendly countries Spain, Qatar, the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates, which suggested mobilising a group of search and rescue teams.”
“Moreover, with the progress of interventions, the assessment of potential needs may develop, which may lead to going back to offers of support from other friendly countries, according to the needs of each stage separately.”
On Saturday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi kicked off his Group of 20 (G20) inauguration speech by offering his “heartfelt condolences to everyone affected” by the earthquake.
“It is my wish that all the injured people recover quickly,” Modi said. “In this difficult time, my thoughts are with Morocco, and we are prepared to offer every possible assistance.”
World leaders attending the summit include US President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and French President Emmanuel Macron. France’s foreign minister Catherine Colonna said France had pledged €5m ($8.36m) to aid organisations in Morocco, though it was up to King Mohammed VI whether it accepted the help. So far, there has been no official response from Moroccan officials.
In a statement released over the weekend, Biden said he was “deeply saddened by the loss of life and devastation caused by the earthquake in Morocco.”
“Our thoughts and prayers are with all those impacted by this terrible hardship,” he expressed. “My administration is in contact with Moroccan officials. We are working expeditiously to ensure American citizens in Morocco are safe, and stand ready to provide any necessary assistance for the Moroccan people. The United States stands by Morocco and my friend King Mohammed VI at this difficult moment.”
On her socials, President of the European Commission Ursula Von der Leyen praised rescuers for their “admirable job”, adding: “My heart goes out to the Moroccan people in the face of the terrible earthquake that took hundreds of lives last night.”
Plan International is working to mobilise efforts to save children and their families affected by the quake.
“From experience in these terrible early days, basic needs must be met quickly, Dr Unni Krishnan, Global Humanitarian Director at Plan International said.
“These are frightening times. After an earthquake, many sleep outside for fear of recurrent tremors. It is critical to address the emotional needs of children along with other lifesaving assistance.”
“In the initial hours, search and rescue efforts must be the top priority, and life-saving medical assistance, food, clean water and sanitation. As an organisation with widespread experience in emergency response we stand in solidarity with the people of Morocco and all involved in rescue and relief efforts.”
“After an earthquake, children are often the most vulnerable, especially children who have lost their parents and young girls separated from family and friends and displaced from their homes. Relief efforts must place children, and the most vulnerable, first.”
On Sunday morning, the Moroccan Embassy of Australia posted on Facebook, “We are deeply saddened by the devastating earthquake that struck Morocco on Friday night.”
“Our thoughts are with those who lost loved ones as well as those in affected areas.”
UNICEF Australia published a statement on their website, noting that UNICEF teams were “monitoring the situation as it unfolds and are ready to respond.”
It has encouraged the public donate to the Children’s Emergency Appeal. Another charity organisation working on the ground to reach survivors with water, food, shelter, and medical support is CARE Australia.
Deepmala Mahla, CARE’s Vice President of Humanitarian Affairs said the organisation is paying special attention to women and girls, youth, and disadvantaged groups at this time during the crisis.
“Many already struggled in Morocco prior to the earthquake,” Mahla said in a statement. “Now, hundreds of thousands have lost everything in a matter of seconds. Every hour, the level of devastation is increasing.”
The organisation said it needs quick financial support to deliver the necessary humanitarian kits of water and food, hygiene kits and shelter.
“It will be necessary to take into account the damage caused to water supply systems that often causes outbreaks of waterborne diseases after this type of disaster,” CARE said in a statement. “It will be necessary to ensure a restart of health systems to avoid secondary disasters.”
You can donate to CARE’s Global Emergency Fund support their Rapid Response Team here.