On the afternoon of September 8, a devastating earthquake occurred in Morocco.
Photo: REUTERS
The number of victims of the devastating earthquake that occurred last night in Morocco is increasing. It exceeded a thousand and on Saturday night it reached 1,037 people.
Many countries around the world have announced their willingness to help the affected kingdom. Thus, Algeria, Morocco’s neighbor, announced the opening of its airspace to all planes transporting first responders and humanitarian aid bound for the Moroccan area of Marrakech, which became the epicenter of the earthquake. The measure was unprecedented given that Algeria and Morocco broke diplomatic relations in 2021.
Tunisia sent rescue teams to Morocco. The president of this country, Kais Said, also ordered that the Moroccan Government coordinate the sending of a delegation from the Tunisian branch of the Red Crescent to coordinate joint actions to overcome the consequences of the catastrophe.
The head of the Roman Catholic Church, Francis, expressed his deep solidarity with Morocco in a special telegram. The head of the People’s Republic of China, Xi Jinping, the presidents of Russia, France and the United States, and leaders of other countries around the world also expressed their condolences to the families of the victims.
Local authorities said the aftershocks did not damage runways or buildings at Marrakesh international airport. In addition, the tourist infrastructure suffered practically no damage. In this sense, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) confirmed that they will not cancel their annual meetings in Marrakech, scheduled for October.
The first plane from the United Arab Emirates will arrive in Marrakech tonight with humanitarian aid. The Israeli government also announced the shipment of a similar shipment to Morocco in the next few hours.
Meanwhile, seismologists warn that the probability of aftershocks, whose intensity exceeded 6 points, still persists. At the same time, experts assured that there is no risk of a tsunami.
