Spain will send rescue teams to Morocco to help in the search for survivors of the earthquake on Friday night, which killed more than two thousand people, the Spanish Government announced this Sunday.
The acting head of Spanish diplomacy, José Manuel Albares, stated that his Moroccan counterpart officially requested Spain’s help in an early morning contact.
For now, the Government is preparing to immediately send a contingent of 65 members of the Military Emergency Unit (UME), which could be joined by additional teams from the Spanish autonomous communities, he said.
The number of personnel will be “what is necessary for Morocco,” Albares told Radio Catalonia, as reported by the Spanish agency EFE.
Albares also said that he contacted the Ministers of the Interior and Defense to coordinate this first aid from Spain to the neighboring country.
The initial aid is aimed at urgently rescuing people who may still be alive under the rubble, he said.
Spain intends to help Morocco in the reconstruction of the areas affected by the violent earthquake that had its epicenter 60 kilometers from the tourist city of Marrakech, he stated.
Albares affirmed that the immediate aid reflects the solidarity and “feeling of friendship of the Spanish people towards Morocco.”
According to Albares, so far there is no news of Spaniards killed or injured in the earthquake.
He said that the Government contacted all Spaniards who registered in the consular registry.
The minister also stated that he does not consider it necessary to charter a plane to transport Spaniards who are in Morocco as there are different connections between both countries.
He mentioned, however, that the executive is in contact with the airlines Iberia and Binter to explore the possibility of increasing the planned capacity of the planes that are expected to land in the next few hours in Morocco.
The objective is to respond, if necessary, to the requests of passengers whose flights were canceled due to the earthquake.
According to Almares, a team from the Spanish embassy in Rabat has been in Marrakech since Saturday to help find flights that allow the affected Spaniards to return to the country.
Albares also reminded Spaniards in Morocco that they can opt for land transportation to Tangier, from where there are extensive maritime connections with Spain.
The most recent estimate of the earthquake published by the Moroccan Government was 2,012 dead and 2,059 injured, of which 1,404 are in serious condition.
Moroccan seismological authorities said the earthquake had a magnitude of 7.0 on the Richter scale and occurred at a depth of eight kilometers.
Source: TSF
