Ahmed Atef (Rabat, Cairo)
Yesterday, for the fourth day, rescue teams continued relief operations and searches for missing people under the rubble, after the devastating earthquake that struck the country on Friday evening.
Search operations did not stop during the night hours, as search and rescue teams pulled out a number of people trapped under the rubble in various areas damaged by the earthquake.
Foreign rescue teams also began their work to join their Moroccan counterparts immediately after their arrival in Morocco.
Yesterday, the Moroccan authorities announced a new rise in the death toll from the earthquake, reaching 2,862 deaths in addition to 2,501 injuries.
Moroccan Minister of Justice Abdellatif Wehbe announced that the authorities had taken precautionary measures in the event of aftershocks after the earthquake.
He said, “Committees have been formed to inspect old buildings and all facilities that could be used as a relief shelter for survivors and those in need.”
Wehbe added: “The authorities asked residents not to approach the old city wall and to stay away from old buildings in the south in anticipation of any aftershocks. We also warned families not to return to some of the areas where the earthquake occurred.”
The impact of the cultural heritage in Morocco by the earthquake gradually began to appear, as buildings in the old city of Marrakesh, which is classified on the World Heritage List of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), were damaged.
The earthquake caused major damage to the historic Tinmel Mosque, which dates back to the 12th century, located in a remote mountainous area near the epicenter of the earthquake.
Popular initiatives to support earthquake victims did not stop, as dozens of trucks and cars arrived in the affected areas, carrying food aid, blankets, and mattresses, according to what was reported on social media platforms.
Paramedics and volunteers are working to provide all means of support to those affected, in a campaign that experts and eyewitnesses described to the Union as unprecedented to avoid the consequences of the disaster.
“Tents, field hospitals, and areas equipped for shelter and sharing housing and food.” This is the current situation in Morocco, according to what Moroccan activists and researchers told Al-Ittihad from the heart of the affected regions, especially since large campaigns of donations and in-kind and material solidarity have increased in frequency to improve the conditions of survivors and provide medical support. For the infected.
Activists, volunteers, and rescue and relief teams pointed out that the collapse of some roads makes it difficult to deliver aid to survivors, which has promoted the use of helicopters for rescue and delivery of aid to those who are left without homes to shelter them, especially in remote mountainous areas.
Moroccan activist and media personality Youssef Al-Hayek indicated in a statement to Al-Ittihad that rescue work is continuing in full swing, especially in the most affected Al-Haouz province, pointing out that all governmental and non-governmental capabilities have been harnessed. In addition to official initiatives, Moroccans have taken the initiative from various The regions decided to send solidarity convoys to the affected areas via trucks to transport the necessary supplies in such circumstances, such as food, blankets, clothes, etc.
Regarding the challenges during rescue operations, Al-Hayek pointed out that they are represented by the extension of the area struck by the earthquake, the spacing of the affected areas given their rural area, in addition to the difficulty of the terrain because they are geographical areas.
In turn, civil activist Ezzedine Azian from Al Haouz province considered that the efforts of those affected in the earthquake areas are astonishing, especially with their insistence on organizing convoys to distribute food and clothing. Young people also take convoys to the tops of the mountains to reach the families of the victims to instill reassurance and hope.
Azian confirmed to Al-Ittihad that “everything in Morocco now is moving very quickly to restore things as they were,” explaining that the biggest challenge is the urgent need for drinking water, especially with estimates indicating that more than 300,000 people live in the most populated areas. They were affected.
In the same context, activist Saeeda Malih explained that she observed scenes of camps along the road, located in the Al Haouz region, inhabited by survivors, some of them in the open and others in tents.
Saeeda explained to Al-Ittihad that the roads are still difficult, especially since stones are still falling from the mountains.
#Morocco. #Popular #voluntary #initiatives #support #affected #earthquake