Panic after the Moroccan earthquake: “Our neighbors are under the rubble”

2023-09-09 08:28:02

Updated Saturday, September 9, 2023 – 08:28

The earthquake has left almost 300 dead and more than 150 injured

People sleeping in a square in Marrakech after the earthquake.FADEL SENNAAFPEarthquake in Morocco At least 296 dead in a magnitude 7 earthquake in Marrakech

The strong earthquake, of magnitude 7, which has left almost 300 dead in Morocco and injured more than 150, has destroyed buildings and forced the inhabitants of the main cities to flee their homes hastily.

The residents of Marrakechthe closest big city to the epicenter, said some buildings had collapsed in the old town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and local television showed images of a collapsed mosque minaret with rubble on top of smashed cars.

Montasir Itriresident in the mountain town of Donkey, near the epicenter, said that most houses had suffered damage. “Our neighbors are under the rubble and people are working hard to rescue them using the means available in the town,” he said.

Further west, near Taroudant, Professor Hamid Afkar He said he had run away from home and felt the aftershocks. “The ground shook for about 20 seconds. The doors opened and closed on their own as I ran down from the second floor,” she said.

According to the Geophysical Center of Morocco, the earthquake occurred in the area of Ighil, in the High Atlas, and had a magnitude of 7.2 degrees. The US Geological Survey put the magnitude of the quake at 6.8 and said it had occurred in the High Atlas.

Daos en Marrakesh

In Marrakech, some houses in the cramped old town had collapsed and people were hard at work removing the rubble by hand as they waited for heavy equipment to arrive, the resident said. Id Waaziz Hassan.

Images of the city’s medieval wall showed large cracks in one section and fallen parts, with debris strewn across the street.

Another resident of Marrakech, Brahim HimmiHe said he saw ambulances leaving the old town and many damaged building facades. He said people were scared and staying outside in case another earthquake occurred.

“The chandelier fell from the ceiling and I ran away. I’m still on the street with my children and we’re scared,” said Houda Hafsi, 43, in Marrakech.

Other woman, Dalila Fahem, said there were cracks in his house and damage to the furniture. “Luckily, I hadn’t gone to sleep yet,” she said.

The inhabitants of Rabatsome 350 km north of Ighil, and the coastal town of Imsouane, some 180 km to the west, also fled their homes for fear of a stronger quake, according to Reuters witnesses.

In Casablancaabout 250 km north of Ighil, people who spent the night on the streets were too scared to return to their homes.

“The house shook hard, everyone was scared,” he said. Mohamed Taqafi. “I thought it was just my house that was moving because it is fragile and old. Or yell at the people, they all came out of their housesVideos shared on social media from the moments immediately after the quake, which Reuters could not immediately verify, showed people running in fear out of shopping malls, restaurants and apartment buildings and congregating outside.

The Franks Michael Bizet, who owns three tourist establishments in traditional houses (riads) in the old city of Marrakech, told the AFP agency that the shock woke him up during his sleep. “I thought my bed was flying away. I went out to the street half naked and went to see the riads. “It was total chaos, a real, crazy catastrophe,” she explained.