2023-09-10 00:17:52
After the severe earthquake in Morocco, the number of Fatalities on more than 2012 gone up. At least 2059 more people became injured the Moroccan government announced on Saturday. It is assumed that the number of victims is still rising.
The preparations by the Technical Relief Agency (THW) are already underway, said Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) to the German Press Agency. “As soon as we have more information about what help is specifically needed, we can send our specialists to Morocco.” According to a THW spokesman, rescue teams or water treatment plants are conceivable.
The German Red Cross (DRK) said the situation was still very confusing. “But one thing is certain: the people in the disaster regions now urgently need humanitarian help,” said DRK General Secretary Christian Reuter, according to a statement. The relief organization Action Medeor said it was in contact with partner organizations.
Read a report from our correspondent
Deaths were reported in many different provinces. According to the Interior Ministry, most of the damage occurred outside the cities and some of the affected areas have not yet been reached. The Moroccan news site Hespress reported, citing the Interior Ministry, that local and national armed forces and civil defense were using all means to provide necessary assistance and assess the damage.
The US Earthquake Observatory USGS said the quake had a Magnitude of 6.8 and was at a depth of 18.5 kilometers for a good 70 kilometers southwest von Marrakesh and 60 kilometers northeast of the town of Taroudant. The epicenter was in the Atlas Mountains. The geophone at the Helmholtz Center Potsdam reported the magnitude of the earthquake as 6.9. A short time later, the US authorities reported an aftershock with a magnitude of 4.9. However, the full extent of the quake, which occurred at 11 p.m. local time (GMT+1), remains unclear.
The epicenter of the quake was in the Atlas Mountains
Source: Infographic WELT/Stephanie Kock
According to eyewitness accounts, the earthquake caused panic among residents in Marrakech, Agadir and other cities. As the newspaper “Le Matin” reported, that was Quake also in Rabat and Casablanca to feel. Even in the south of Spain and Portugal, people were woken from their sleep. Shortly after midnight, the emergency call center in Andalusia, Spain, received more than 20 calls from concerned citizens from the regions around Huelva, Seville, Jaén, Málaga, Marbella and Córdoba, as the organization wrote on X. The authorities in Faro in southern Portugal, the Lisbon area and Setúbal also reported similar reports, wrote the Portuguese state news agency Lusa.
Morocco declared three days of national mourning. As the Royal Palace announced on Saturday, the flags on public buildings should be flown at half-mast during national mourning.
First strong earthquake in Morocco in a century
Videos circulating on social media showed buildings shaking and people running outside and gathering outdoors. Other Videos showed debris on streets and minor damage to buildings. “Our neighbors are lying under the rubble of their houses and we are trying to save them with the means available,” said Montasir Itri, a resident of the mountain village of Asni, not far from the epicenter. Most of the houses there are damaged.
Residents of the city of Marrakesh reported collapsed buildings in the historic old town, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. People are digging in the rubble with their bare hands and waiting for heavy equipment, says resident Id Waaziz Hassan. Another reported ambulances coming from the old town.
This car was buried under rubble
What: REUTERS
This old mosque in Marrakesh suffered severe damage
What: REUTERS
Severe damage occurred in the old town of Marrakesh
What: REUTERS
Residents in Marrakesh fled to public spaces at night
Nasser Jabour, head of a department at the National Institute of Geophysics, confirmed that the aftershocks were less severe. The quake was felt within a radius of 400 kilometers, he told the Moroccan news agency MAP. It is the first time in a century that such a strong earthquake has been recorded in Morocco.
Earthquakes in North Africa are relatively rare. In 1960, according to the Al-Arabiya broadcaster, a magnitude 5.8 earthquake occurred near Agadir, killing thousands of people.
German embassy sets up crisis team
The German embassy set up a crisis team in Rabat. “Our most important task now is to ensure that injured and victims are cared for as quickly as possible,” it said on the embassy’s website on Saturday. A spokeswoman for the Foreign Office said an emergency number had been set up. According to them, affected Germans can contact the website. They would receive consular support. The Foreign Office is in close contact with the local authorities about the situation following the natural disaster with hundreds of deaths.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed his condolences to the victims. “This is bad news from Morocco,” said the SPD politician on Saturday morning on platform X. “In these difficult hours, our thoughts are with the victims of the devastating earthquake. Our condolences go out to everyone affected by this natural disaster.” Scholz is currently in the Indian capital New Delhi for the G-20 summit.
Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said he was “deeply shocked”. Steinmeier condoled the Moroccan King Mohammed VI on Saturday. and expressed – also on behalf of the Germans – his condolences for the victims and best wishes for the recovery of the injured. “I wish your entire country and you a lot of strength in the rescue work and the reconstruction of destroyed infrastructure and buildings. Our thoughts are with the families of the dead and injured,” wrote the German head of state.
The European Union offered Morocco its help. “The EU is ready to support Morocco in these difficult moments,” wrote EU Council President Charles Michel on X on Saturday morning. The news from the country is terrible. His thoughts are with everyone affected by the tragedy and with the rescue workers.
We continually update this article.
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