Morocco earthquake – live: Race to find survivors as death toll tops 2,901
Experts warn aftershocks could last for ‘months’
Rescuers are racing the clock to find survivors in the rubble more than 48 hours after Morocco's deadliest earthquake in more than six decades.
Some 2,901 have people have been killed in a disaster that devastated villages in the High Atlas Mountains. More than 5,000 are still missing.
Aftershocks will continue to rock Morocco weeks or months, a seismological expert has warned. Remy Mossu, the director of the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre, told Sky News that more than 25 aftershocks have already hit the country since the 6.8 magnitude earthquake.
“There will be aftershocks. It is not probably, it is a certainty,” he said.
Some villagers say they are struggling to find enough space to bury their dead as funerals can take place beside rescue work. Others are preparing extra graves ready for more bodies, even as rescue operations continue.
Morocco’s King Mohammed VI has thanked Spain, Qatar, the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates for sending aid, with the UK government set to send 60 search and rescue specialists and four search dogs to Morocco.
The damage from the quake could take several years to repair, according to the Red Cross.
Need for psychological support for survivors
There is a need for psychological support for the survivors of the devastating earthquake, a psychiatrist told Moroccon state broadcaster 2M.
Omar Battas, a psychiatrist and professor at the Faculty of Medicine in Casablanca told the news host that there is a strong need to strengthen psychological support for survivors of the Moroccon tragedy.
More than 2,000 people have been killed in the earthquake and of the 2,059 injured, more than 1,400 are said to be seriously hurt, according to Morocco’s Interior Ministry.
“We are looking at many months if not several years of response,” Hossam Elsharkawi, the Red Cross Middle East and North Africa director said.
Warning aftershocks will keep hitting Morocco
Aftershocks will continue to rock Morocco even weeks or months after the earthquake that killed more than 2,000, a seismological expert has warned.
Remy Mossu, the director of the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre, told Sky News that more than 25 aftershocks have already hit the country since the 6.8 magnitude earthquake.
“There will be aftershocks. It is not probably, it is a certainty,” he said.
“They will keep going for days and weeks, but we don’t know how many or how big they will be. In a few months, we may still have aftershocks from time to time, this won’t be surprising.”
He warned that it is “extremely difficult” for civilians to re-enter buildings given the uncertainty.
Mapped: Morocco earthquake that killed over 2,000 and levelled buildings in Marrakech
The Morocco earthquake that has killed more than 2,000 people was the strongest to hit the north African nation in several decades.
The earthquake struck just after 11pm on Friday and has impacted the entire region, with tremors being felt thousands of miles away in Portugal and Algeria.
The quake’s epicentre is in the middle of the country and located at the High Atlas Mountains in the Ighil area, about 40 miles (70km) south of Marrakech.
Morocco earthquake that killed over 2,000 is north Africa’s most powerful in decades
Watch: Moment deadly earthquake strikes busy Marrakech street captured on CCTV
CCTV has captured the moment a deadly earthquake struck a busy Marrakech street late on Friday 8 September.
The footage shows the ground shaking before people run for cover as buildings and debris crumble from the force of the tremors.
The 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck in Morocco’s Atlas Mountains, around 40 miles south of the ancient city of Marrakech, and has killed at least 2,100 people so far.
Another 2,500 people are injured with most of the casualties reported to be in hard-to-reach areas.
UK justice secretary Alex Chalk has said Britain stands “ready to provide whatever assistance is required”.
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