Survivor of Morocco earthquake remembers second it hit: ‘Mothers have been screaming’

The well-known Koutoubia Mosque, constructed within the twelfth century, suffered injury, however the extent was not instantly clear.

Its 226-foot minaret is named the “roof of Marrakesh”. Moroccans additionally posted movies displaying injury to elements of the well-known pink partitions which encompass the outdated metropolis, a UNESCO World Heritage web site.

The Moroccan Interior Ministry has estimated 822 individuals have died within the earthquake, with at the very least 672 severely injured. Marrakech was one of many worst-hit areas alongside Al-Haouz and Ouarzazate.

According to Nasser Jabour, the chief of the National Institute of Geophysics, the 7-magnitude quake is probably the most highly effective the nation has ever skilled.

The French Ambassador to Morocco famous that rural areas have been probably the most affected by the earthquake and assessing the injury is prone to take days.

Christophe Lecourtier mentioned: “The regions that seem most affected are mountainous regions south of Marrakesh where there are villages with populations living in houses that are less sturdy than in cities.

“This is the place emergency providers are working to find out the precise state of affairs.”

The head of a town near the earthquake’s epicenter told Moroccan news site 2M that several homes in nearby towns had partly or totally collapsed, and electricity and roads are cut off in some places.

Abderrahim Ait Daoud, head of the town of Talat N’Yaaqoub, said authorities are working to clear roads in Al Haouz Province to allow passage for ambulances and aid to populations affected, but said large distances between mountain villages mean it will take time to learn the extent of the damage.

Follow our social media accounts here on fb.com/ExpressUSNews and @expressusnews