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Many Moroccan families spent a second night sleeping outdoors overnight to Sunday after the deadliest earthquake in more than half a century killed more than 2,000 people and injured at least as many. The quake damaged thousands of homes, and there are fears of an aftershock.
Many families huddled into the early hours of Sunday, spending a second night on the streets as Morocco’s deadliest earthquake in more than half a century left many fearing their homes were no longer safe to return to.
Uncertainty gripped many in Marrakech, some 70 kilometres northeast of the epicentre, as they worried the quake may have damaged their homes or that an aftershock could destroy them in the coming hours or days.
The death toll from the Moroccan earthquake rose to 2,012 people, Moroccan state TV said early on Sunday, citing a statement from the interior ministry.
The number of injured rose to 2,059, including 1,404 people who are in a critical condition, it added.
In historic Marrakech, the largest city near the center of the quake and a major tourist draw, many families spent Saturday night staying out in the open, as authorities warned residents to pay close attention to follow-up tremors.
People stayed away from the damaged buildings in the city’s tightly-packed medieval-era center as well as the surrounding red earth walls, where parts have crumbled.
In the Oliveraie Park in central Marrakech, hundreds of people, including children and the elderly, slept on blankets and makeshift mattresses. Families huddled together, trying to get some rest after the shock and panic from the night before.
Some brought bags of clothes and food, preparing for a possible longer stay away from their homes.
Marrakech resident Mohamed Aithadi told Reuters the walled old city, or medina, suffered extensive damage.
“There is a lot of damage that has happened to a lot of buildings. Some of them are mosques, some of them are houses, a lot of communities got hurt,” the Moroccan-American said, standing outside a mosque whose minaret was damaged by the quake.
He called for authorities to step up relief efforts and offer food, water and blanket to residents in the poorest areas of the city.
Morocco’s King Mohammed VI has issued instructions to set up a commission for relief services to provide care, housing and foods for those affected.
Flags around the city are flying at half-mast to mark three days of national mourning announced by the monarchy.
In Marrakech’s airport, dozens of tourists slept on the floor in the main terminal, waiting to catch a flight out. Flights in and out of the tourism hub have been operating mostly as normal.
Morocco’s King Mohammed VI has issued instructions to set up a commission for relief services, which will provide care, housing and foods for those affected.