Earthquake
Morocco: Earthquake death toll now 2,862, as ministry records 2,562 injured
The figure of casualties of the earthquake that shook some central Moroccan provinces on September 8 is now 2,681 and the injured are 2,501, the Ministry of the Interior said in a statement.
Friday’s 6.8-magnitude quake struck 72 kilometres (45 miles) southwest of the tourist hub of Marrakesh, wiping out entire villages in the hills of the Atlas mountains.
On Sunday an aftershock of magnitude 4.5 rattled the same region.
The mountain village of Tafeghaghte, 60 kilometres from Marrakesh, was almost entirely destroyed, with very few buildings still standing.
Amid the debris, civilian rescuers and members of Morocco’s armed forces searched for survivors and the bodies of the dead.
The tremor resulted in 1,604 fatalities in Al Haouz, 976 in Taroudant, and one death in Essaouira, according to the ministry. Among those who are dead, 2,854 have been buried.
The tremor also killed 1,604 people in the province of Al Haouz; 976 in the province of Taroudant, and one in Essaouira, the ministry said, adding that 2,854 of the deaceased had been buried.
No new deaths have been reported in the provinces and prefectures of Ouarzazate, Marrakech, Azilal, Agadir Ida Outanane, Casablanca, Youssoufia and Tinghir, the statement said.
However, authorities continued their efforts to rescue, evacuate and help the injured, and are mobilizing all necessary resources to respond to the repercussions of this painful tragedy.