Morocco races to find survivors after devastating earthquake

Moroccan rescue teams, supported by foreign squads, are racing against the clock to locate survivors and provide assistance to hundreds of displaced individuals who lost their homes in the devastating earthquake that claimed at least 2,122 lives over 48 hours ago.

On Sunday evening, Morocco announced that it had accepted offers of assistance from the United Kingdom, Spain, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates to address the aftermath of the earthquake.

The Ministry of Interior stated in a press release that "Moroccan authorities have responded specifically to offers of support from friendly countries, including Spain, Qatar, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates, which proposed deploying search and rescue teams."

These teams have begun coordinating their efforts with their Moroccan counterparts.

Spain has sent 86 rescue workers with specialized search dogs to Morocco, while a Qatari humanitarian flight took off from the Al-Udeid Air Base on the outskirts of Doha on Sunday evening, according to a journalist from Agence France-Presse.

The Moroccan Interior Ministry noted the possibility of "utilizing offers of support from other friendly countries" if the need arises, emphasizing the Kingdom's "welcome of all solidarity initiatives from various regions of the world."

Several countries, including France, the United States, and Israel, have expressed their readiness to provide assistance to Morocco and have expressed solidarity following the kingdom's most powerful earthquake, which resulted in 2,122 fatalities and 2,421 injuries according to the latest figures released by the Ministry of Interior on Sunday.

While awaiting the deployment of foreign rescue teams on the ground, authorities have begun setting up tents in the High Atlas region, where entire villages were destroyed by the earthquake.



AFP