Morocco earthquake: Mountain areas searched as nation mourns

Saudi Arabia is looking to establish an airlift operation to transport emergency aid to help Morocco deal with the aftermath of the devastating earthquake.

Saudi King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have ordered the establishment of the air bridge, the country's state news agency SPA reported.

The kingdom is also preparing to send a search and rescue team and another team from the Saudi Red Crescent, to assist with the relief efforts, the newspaper Arab News reported. 

The Moroccan government has proposed setting up a special relief fund for those who were affected by the devastating earthquake.

A government spokesman told local media the fund would cover the costs of repairing damaged houses, among other things. The fund would also support those in need as a result of the earthquake, including orphaned children and those rendered homeless.

The fund will be financed by public institutions and voluntary contributions from the private sector.

The government is planning to present the proposal of setting up the fund to parliament on Monday. If approved, it shall come into effect as soon as it is published in the official gazette.

Morocco has "at this stage" accepted aid offers from Spain, the United Kingdom, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, the Interior Ministry said late on Sunday.

The four countries offered "to send search and rescue teams," the ministry said.

Spain said 56 rescuers and four sniffer dogs had arrived in Morocco, while a second team of 30 people and 4 dogs was also on its way.

"We will send whatever is needed because everyone knows that these first hours are key, especially if there are people buried under rubble," Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles said.

The UK said it had deployed a 60-person search-and-rescue team with four dogs, while Qatar also said its search and rescue team had departed for Morocco.

King Mohammed VI thanked the four countries, according to state media.

Other states including France and Algeria have also offered help.

The death toll from a deadly quake in Morocco has risen to 2,122 people, Moroccan state television reported, citing the Interior Ministry.

At least 2,421 people were injured, according to ministry figures.

More than 1,300 of the deaths were registered in the province of Al Haouz, which was the epicenter of the quake. The province is located immediately south of Marrakesh, in the High Atlas Mountains.

Several countries have offered to provide aid to Morocco as it recovers from a deadly earthquake.

"France is ready to offer its aid to Morocco if Morocco decides it is useful," French President Emmanuel Macron said during the G20 Summit in New Delhi.

"Moroccan authorities know exactly what can be delivered, the nature [of what can be delivered] and the timing...We are at their disposal. We did everything we could do.... The second they request this aid, it will be deployed," he said.

Earlier on Sunday, French Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Anne-Claire Legendre said Paris' embassy in Morocco was "fully mobilized."

"Today Moroccan authorities are in charge... An assessment [of the situation] is under way... At this stage Morocco has not asked for help," she said.

Meanwhile, rescue workers from Germany's Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW) are ready to be deployed to Morocco, a spokesman told the German Press Agency (dpa).

The spokesman said they "cannot take action" until Rabat makes a formal request.

On Saturday, Israel's Magen David Adom emergency service said that it had contacted the Moroccan Red Crescent with an offer of help. Israel and Morocco agreed to establish formal diplomatic ties in late 2020.

Algeria also said it would open its air space for humanitarian and medical flights to Morocco if Rabat were to request help. Algiers severed ties with Rabat in 2021 after claiming Moroccan authorities had given support to Berber separatists in the coastal Kabyle region and amid tensions over Morocco's claims to the Western Sahara.

As Moroccan authorities grapple with the aftermath of Friday's devastating earthquake, AP journalist Mosa'ab Elshamy told DW's Michael Okwu that ordinary Moroccans have been stepping forward to help where they can.

"It’s a very desperate situation right here in the city of Marrakech, people have been since yesterday lining up in large queues trying to donate blood and assist with whatever they could do."

Elshamy said that despite the challenges — like sleeping in the open air for a second night — people were trying to return to a sense of normality.

"The streets are busy this morning and people are heading to the Medina and trying to regain that sense (of normality), but also there is a lot of grief going on."

Elshamy said the situation in rural areas was extremely challenging, describing the scale of destruction as "catastrophic."

"The situation there is extremely desperate, we went to some of the remote cities near the epicenter and it was catastrophic to try and describe the scale of what happened," Elshamy said, telling DW that some villages had been completely destroyed.

"The further we went in, the more desperate the situation became," Elshamy said, explaining that the remote location made them difficult to access.

Elshamy said that authorities "were in a frantic mission" to reach these areas to conduct rescue operations.

Spain's Foreign Minister Joe Manuel Albares on Sunday said that search and rescue teams, along with other aid, would be sent to Morocco following a formal request for assistance from Rabat.

"It is a sign of Spanish solidarity and of the sense of friendship which unites the people of Spain with the people of Morocco," Albares said during an interview with Catalunya Radio.

The foreign minister said he received a call from his Moroccan counterpart requesting the aid in the early hours of Sunday.

Spain's Interior Ministry on Sunday that government was managing "the immediate deployment" of a contingent involving 65 members to help search for survivors.

Rescuers in Morocco are meanwhile facing the challenge of trying to reach those in badly affected villages in the Atlas Mountains, a range which is home to remote settlements.

Large boulders have tumbled onto a mountain road near Moulay Brahim, around 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of Marrakech. This has partially blocked the road linking the the city to the mountains.

"There are a lot of people still under the rubble. People are still searching for their parents," Adeeni Mustafa, a resident from the area told Reuters news agency. 

 

DW's Jan-Phillip Scholz is tracking developments in Marrakech and said people are beginning to realize the scale and extent of the earthquake.

"Marrakech is in a state of shock, last night you could still see some kind of normal everyday life, there were even some tourists outside in restaurants but people are slowly starting to realize the extent of the tragedy," Scholz said.

Thousands of people are sleeping outside of their homes, with tourists even staying outside of their hotels, Scholz said. He noted that many historic buildings in the old part of city have been destroyed.

"Fortunately the death toll is not very high here in the city of Marrakech but it’s a completely different picture just twenty, thirty kilometers outside of the city," Scholz told DW's Michael Okwu, adding that the biggest concern at this stage was the possibility of aftershocks.

The World Bank has offered condolences after the earthquake. 

"Our hearts go out to the people of Morocco, who are suffering the effects of devastating earthquakes that have caused a tragic loss of life, injuries, and damages in the areas south of Marrakech," the financial institution said in a statement. 

"We have relayed our profoundest condolences to the Kingdom at the highest levels and offered our full support to the country in the wake of the catastrophe. Our sole focus at this stage is on the Moroccan people and the authorities who are dealing with this tragedy."   

Many families in Marrakech spent their second consecutive night on the streets, concerned about their safety after the deadliest earthquake to hit Morocco in over half a century left them fearing for their lives. 

"I cannot sleep there," Mouhamad Ayat Elhaj told Reuters news agency. Elhaj has slept on the streets near the city's historic medina after finding signs of damage in his house.  

"I am asking the authorities to help me and bring in an expert to assess whether it is possible for me to return to the house or not. If there is a risk, I will not return to the house," he said.

Noureddine Lahbabi, a 68-year-old with four children, also prepared to sleep outside for a second night. "It’s a painful experience. When this happens to your brother or sister, it’s really painful," he said. 

Other families found open spaces away from the medina, along the roads, to spend the night on.

The historic medina in Marrakech is a popular attraction for both Moroccans and foreigners. Pictures showed religious sites, such as mosques in the area, damaged by the quake. 

Moroccan Interior Ministry has said that so far 2,012 people have been killed from the earthquake in Marrakech and in other parts of the country. The Moroccan government said 2,059 people have also been injured, 1,404 of whom are in critical condition.  

mk/wd (Reuters, AFP, AP, dpa)