2023-09-09 22:58:35
Yasmina Bennani, a journalist who lives in Amizmiz, near the epicenter of Iguil, in the Atlas mountain range, was able to recount in a few words the earthquake measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale that devastated much of Morocco on Friday night. “It only lasted thirty seconds, but it felt like ages.” A short amount of time was enough to kill more than 1,300 people, injure many more and destroy an incalculable number of buildings. Few regions were spared from the bloody earthquake, one of the largest in the history of the Alawite country and which could also be felt in the southern half of Spain, Portugal and Algeria.
The hands of the clock had barely passed eleven at night – one hour later in Spain – when the bed in which Bennani was resting was shaken and a sensation of terror passed through his body. She lived in a house made of clay bricks and he saved her life because she left the room “running into the street” while she screamed for her mother to do the same. The house collapsed soon after, like many in the region and other surrounding areas. Hours later, Morocco woke up dotted with rubble, with a landscape of cracked walls and millions of people trying to find rest after living outdoors all night for fear of dangerous seismic aftershocks. Entire families remained huddled on the sidewalks with children covered in blankets.
Seven provinces attracted the largest portion of the tragedy, with the vast majority of those killed in the rural area closest to the center of the earthquake and difficult to access. Aid to the victims is therefore in the hands of the Armed Forces, deployed urgently “following the instructions of King Mohamed VI, supreme commander and chief of the General Staff,” according to a military statement. The monarch was on vacation in France when his country was engulfed by tragedy. Last night he suspended his rest and returned to Morocco.
The military is still working to clear the roads so that ambulances can pass and help reach the affected populations. But the great distance between the mountain towns is an impediment. In addition, the roads are crowded with vehicles trying to escape by avoiding the fallen stones.
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Among the large cities, the historic Marrakech, whose medieval center is a World Heritage Site, was the one that suffered the most damage from the collision of tectonic plates recorded eight kilometers deep. Many buildings collapsed in the old city, including the minaret of the Koutoubia mosque, from the 12th century, which fell on Jemaa al-Fna Square, destroying all the vehicles parked there. The tower was 69 meters high and was known as the ‘roof of Marrakech’. Also the famous red wall showed large cracks in one section and fallen parts.
There EL CORREO was able to verify how Noor, who just turned 2 years old, was among the families that were left homeless. His crying silenced the screams of his family during the earthquake. The little girl began to cry like her parents had never seen her before. «We live on the top floor of an adobe and wood building in the old city and we had to endure until the end of the earthquake to go down to the street. “It was eternal,” recalls her father, Khalid Arradi. Her new address is the park located in front of the city’s main bus station. They have tried to return home, but finding themselves in the heart of the detraction, the Police do not allow them access. “What can we do? “Pray and hope that we don’t have new aftershocks.” The image is repeated throughout the city, with parks and squares full of people and more people.
Noor’s family has come out with what they had. No toys, no water, no food. “The consolation is that we are alive and that Noor no longer cries. He is happy in the park, playing with other children. I hope he never remembers what we have experienced, “says his father. The second night outdoors also welcomed thousands of Marrakech residents, the earthquake punished them harshly, but the weather is at least clement.
Very close to the Arradi family rested a group of friends and neighbors from a block near the railway station who will also stay in the park “until everything passes,” explains Amina Ben Sharif. She is the oldest and lived through the 1975 earthquake, “but this one has been much stronger. “They cannot be compared.” They have not received any help during the day. What they ask for is emotional support to overcome stress and trauma, and they have not come close to their homes. “We did what we have to do in these situations, go out with what we were wearing, run to an open space and now we ask Allah for things to improve.”
Chaos, fear and tension
Amina speaks and the rest listen carefully. They rest on a large colorful blanket and watch the intense traffic on the streets. Ambulances fly among the sea of vehicles that clog the main arteries of Morocco’s fourth city. Added to the usual chaos is fear and tension due to the tremor.
“It has been strong, powerful, but the worst of all has been in the rural areas, in the most remote towns is where this earthquake has taken most of the lives,” laments Amina, who follows the news and the death toll on your mobile phone.
1.300
personas
They have lost their lives victims of the earthquake. All forecasts indicate that the numbers will increase.
Health centers, hospitals, ambulance services and security forces were overwhelmed throughout the affected territory. In most cases, the rescues of the victims trapped in the rubble were placed in the hands of the residents themselves, who throughout Saturday worked hard by hand to try to find life among the rubble while waiting for the arrival of heavy equipment.
Moroccans are condemned to live in suspense for the next few days due to the risk of a highly intense aftershock that revives the panic that swept the country on Friday night. The figures do not stop rising with the passing of the hours and the funerals have already begun. The authorities have decreed three official days of mourning and in the parks of Marrakech they think that at least until this mourning is over they will not return to their homes.
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