Morocco announced this Sunday that “at this stage” it had accepted help from only four countries following the massive earthquake that hit the country on Friday: Spain, the United Kingdom, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
The information was provided by the Moroccan Ministry of the Interior, which clarified in a statement that Rabat “at this stage” responded favorably to the offer of these four countries “to send search and rescue teams.”
This clarification comes at a time when several countries and organizations, such as Portugal, the United States, France or the UN, have declared themselves available and willing to provide assistance.
The Interior Ministry said Moroccan authorities had made an “accurate assessment” of needs on the ground, taking into account that “the lack of coordination in these cases could have counterproductive results.”
He added that at the current stage the authorities of the Maghreb country have accepted the assistance offered by Spain, Qatar, the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates, who have “proposed search and rescue teams”, and stressed that these teams had already arrived in the country and contacted their Moroccan counterparts.
“As intervention operations progress, as the assessment of possible needs evolves, this would lead to resorting to offers of support proposed by other friendly countries, depending on the needs of each phase,” said the statement cited by the intervention agency . Spanish news EFE.
The executive also added that “he appreciates all solidarity initiatives from different parts of the world, and states that he respects these countries.”
This morning, Spain sent the first response team of the army’s Military Emergency Unit (UME), composed of 56 soldiers and four soldiers from the Moroccan army.
Other countries, such as Portugal, France or the United States of America, also offered their assistance, but waited for guidance from the Moroccan authorities.
Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa today stressed that the country has civil protection and forensic medicine teams ready and that the government continues to monitor the situation of Portuguese people in Morocco.
On Saturday, Portugal carried out an operation that allowed around 140 Portuguese who wanted to return.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also announced today that Washington has contacted the Moroccan government, as well as French President Emmanuel Macron, who assured that France is ready to help “at the moment” the Moroccan authorities therefore to ask.
The Argentine government also formally offered humanitarian assistance, having made available the immediate deployment of a team of 28 elements specialized in search and rescue, as well as three tons of equipment and supplies.
Meanwhile, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) announced today that it will provide 1.05 million euros (one million Swiss francs) to assist with earthquake missions in Morocco.
The latest preliminary data show that the earthquake, which struck the Marrakech region on Friday, left at least 2,122 dead and 2,421 injured.
The earthquake, whose epicenter was recorded in the town of Ighil, 63 kilometers southwest of the city of Marrakech, was felt in Portugal and Spain and reached a magnitude of 7.0 on the Richter scale, according to the National Institute of Geophysics of Marrakech. .
Source: DN
