Moroccan rescuers supported by newly-arrived foreign teams on Monday faced an intensifying race against time to dig out any survivors from the rubble of mountain villages, on the third day after the country’s strongest-ever earthquake.

The 6.8-magnitude quake struck the Atlas mountains late on Friday southwest of the tourist centre of Marrakesh. It killed almost 2,500 people and injured a similar number, according to the latest official toll.

In the disaster-stricken community of Talat Nyacoub, 12 ambulances and several dozen 4X4s from the Army and police were deployed while around 100 Moroccan rescuers were searching for signs of life amid the collapsed buildings.

Nearby, AFP saw a Spanish team of 30 firefighters, a doctor, nurse and two technicians coordinating with Moroccan authorities before starting to dig, as a helicopter flew overhead.

“The big difficulty is in zones remote and difficult to access, like here, but the injured are choppered out,” Annika Coll, who heads the Spanish team, told AFP.

About 70 km north, another Spanish team from the Military Emergencies Unit (UME) had set up camp since Sunday night on the edge of Amizmiz village.

Albert Vasquez, the unit’s communications officer, said his team was awaiting a meeting with Moroccan civil defence to determine exactly where they were needed.

Time was short, and Mr. Vasquez warned that “it’s very difficult to find people alive after three days”.

A UME unit assisted after a February earthquake struck Turkey, killing tens of thousands there and in Syria. The team still found people after seven days despite the challenge, Mr. Vasquez added.

“Hope is still there,” he said.

The rescuers are assisted by four dogs and microcameras that can be fed into the rubble in an effort to detect signs of life.

For Lahcen and Habiba Barouj, the help came to late.

“We didn’t see any rescuers. We had to get our father out from the rubble ourselves,” said Habiba Barouj, her face drawn. “Our house has been swallowed up.”

An ambulance took their father, 81, to hospital with a broken leg.

The previous evening, they buried their mother who was killed in the quake.

Rabat on Sunday announced it had accepted offers to send search and rescue teams from Britain, Qatar and the UAE, as well as Spain.

“The U.K. is deploying a team of search and rescue specialists, including 60 people, four search dogs and rescue equipment, as well as a medical assessment team,” the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office said in a statement late on Sunday.

The earthquake wiped out entire villages in the foothills of the Atlas mountains, where civilian rescuers and members of Morocco’s armed forces have searched for survivors and the bodies of the dead.

Many houses in remote mountain villages were built from mud bricks.

While the foreign teams begin to arrive, Moroccan authorities have erected emergency shelters. Bright yellow tents were visible along the road into Tikht, a village which has effectively ceased to exist.

Members of the government’s civil protection service carried camp beds from a military-type truck toward the tents. Non-profit groups were also in the area to assess needs.

Previously home to at least 100 families, Tikht has been reduced to a tangle of timber, chunks of masonry as well as broken plates, shoes and the occasional intricately patterned rug.

“Life is finished here,” said Mohssin Aksum, 33, who had family in the settlement, where residents and their livestock were killed. “The village is dead.”

Citizens reported to hospitals in Marrakesh and elsewhere to donate blood for the injured. Among the donors were members of Morocco’s national football team.

Other volunteers organised food and essential goods to help quake victims, after complaints that authorities were slow to respond.

“Everyone must mobilise,” said one volunteer, Mohamed Belkaid, 65. “And that includes the authorities, but they seem to be absent.”

The education ministry announced that school classes were “suspended” in the worst-hit villages of Al-Haouz province, the quake epicentre.

Some parts of Marrakesh’s historic medina and its network of alleyways saw significant damage, with mounds of rubble and crumpled buildings in the World Heritage site.

Dozens of people continued to sleep outdoors overnight in the modern quarter of Marrakesh. Some stretched out on the median strip of Mohamed VI Avenue. Others lay at the foot of their parked cars.

The UN Human Rights Council in Geneva began its session on Monday with a minute’s silence for the quake victims.

“We are part of a global collectivity: humanity,” said Gambia’s ambassador Muhammadu Kah, who proposed the tribute.

The quake was the deadliest in Morocco since a 1960 earthquake destroyed Agadir, killing 12,000-15,000 people.

A woman looks on as people inspect damaged buildings, in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake in Moulay Brahim, Morocco, September 10, 2023.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

There is no report till now of any Indian national getting affected due to the earthquake in Morocco that has killed over 2,000 people, the Embassy of India in Rabat has said, advising all its citizens in the country to stay calm and adhere to guidelines issued by the local authorities.

The powerful 6.8 magnitude earthquake shook Morocco late on Friday.

The Interior Ministry of Morocco said late Saturday that 2,012 people were killed in the temblor. At least 2,059 people were injured, including 1,404 critically.

The Embassy of India in Rabat issued an advisory on Saturday in the aftermath of the quake and said it was in touch with the community members.

“Till now, there is no report of any Indian national getting affected due to the earthquake,” the mission said.

It urged all Indian nationals currently in Morocco to stay calm and adhere to the advisory/guidelines issued by the local authorities from time to time.

“The Embassy of India in Rabat would like to advise all Indian citizens residing in the Kingdom of Morocco that they can call our 24×7 helpline number +212 661 297 491 for any assistance they may require in the aftermath of the earthquake,” the advisory said.

Also read | Morocco struggles after rare, powerful earthquake kills and injures scores of people

Earlier, the Indian embassy in Morocco expressed its deep sympathy to the victims of the earthquake in the country.

“India stands ready to extend assistance to Morocco in this difficult time,” it said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday also expressed grief at the loss of lives in an earthquake in Morocco.

“In this difficult hour the entire world community is with Morocco and we are ready to offer them all possible assistance,” he said in his opening remarks at the G-20 summit in New Delhi.