The provisional balance of the earthquake that hit Morocco on Friday night raised the number of deaths this Monday to 2,862 and the number of injured to 2,562, announced the Moroccan Ministry of the Interior.
The previous toll was 2,681 dead and 2,501 injured.
The consequences of the earthquake caused deaths in a dozen provinces, but the most affected are Al Haouz, south of Marrakech and close to the epicenter, with 1,604 deaths, followed by Taroudant (976 deaths).
Furthermore, according to official data, a death was recorded for the first time in the province of Essaouira.
Moroccan rescue teams, supported by foreign groups, redoubled their efforts on Monday to find possible survivors and provide assistance to hundreds of homeless people.
The epicenter of the earthquake is located in a mountainous area of the High Atlas, where landslides have made access to the affected towns, such as those in the city of Ighil, even more difficult.
To deliver food to earthquake survivors in small isolated towns in this commune, helicopters make round trips, highlighted Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Morocco accepted the help of four countries to send search and rescue teams: Spain, the United Kingdom, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
In several places, members of the security forces continue to help dig graves for victims, while others set up tents to treat the 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 Morocco.
This earthquake is the deadliest in Morocco since the one that destroyed Agadir, on the country’s western coast, on February 29, 1960, causing between 12,000 and 15,000 deaths, a third of the city’s population.
The head of the Moroccan Government, Aziz Akhannouch, chaired this Monday a meeting dedicated in particular to the reconstruction of destroyed homes in the affected areas.
“Citizens who lost their homes will receive compensation. A clear offer will be announced soon,” he stressed.
According to the government official, solutions are currently being analyzed for those left homeless.
Source: TSF
