Portugal has communicated to Moroccan civil protection authorities “total availability” to mobilize a search and rescue team, similar to what it did during the earthquake in Turkey, the interior minister said on Saturday.
“We have already informed the Moroccan Civil Protection Authorities, through the Portuguese Embassy in Morocco, that we are fully available to mobilize a search and rescue team. […] equivalent to the one we mobilized for Turkey, that is, with search and rescue capabilities, with a medical team, with a few dogs, with teams to identify dead bodies.”informed Minister José Luís Carneiro.
Speaking to the Lusa agency, the Interior Minister said that Morocco has not yet requested this support, but that Portugal’s availability “is total”.
When asked about the impact of this earthquake in Portugal, as felt in several Portuguese locations, José Luís Carneiro stated that “so far there are no data on damage or consequences on Portuguese territory”.
The Interior Minister endorsed the words of Prime Minister António Costa and also sent a message of condolences and “the deepest solidarity with the Moroccan people, in particular with all those who were directly and indirectly affected by this earthquake.”
On the social network
“Last night’s earthquake in Morocco leaves us deeply saddened and we express our condolences to His Majesty the King, the affected families and all the Moroccan people, our neighbors,” António Costa wrote.
The Portuguese who are in Morocco, where a major earthquake occurred on Friday evening, and with whom the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MNE) has contacted, are “doing well”, according to a note from the diplomacy itself.
“All Portuguese people contacted so far are doing well and have reported no health problems or substantial material damage,” the ministry assured the media in a note.
The toll from the earthquake that struck Morocco on Friday evening has risen to 820 dead and 672 injured, of whom 250 were seriously injured, the Moroccan Interior Ministry announced today.
The province with the most registered victims is Al Haouz, south of Marrakesh and close to the epicenter, with 394 deaths, according to the balance up to 10 a.m. local time (same time in Lisbon), cited by the Spanish agency EFE.
This is followed by Taroudant (271 deaths), Chichaoua (91), Ouarzazate (31), Marrakesh (13), Azilal (11), Agadir (5), Casablanca (3) and Al Youssufia (1).
According to the National Institute of Geophysics of Morocco, the earthquake reached a magnitude of 7.0 on the Richter scale and occurred in the Marrakesh region (north) at 11:11 PM, at a depth of eight kilometers.
The epicenter was in the town of Ighil, about 80 kilometers southwest of Marrakesh.
The strong earthquake was felt in Portugal and Spain.
Source: DN
