Sunday, September 29, 2024

Foreign teams join Morocco earthquake search as death toll tops 2,100

Morocco on Sunday said it responded to support offers made by Spain, Qatar, Britain and the UAE.

Rescue teams from Spain, UK and Qatar began supporting Moroccan rescuers in areas that were affected by the powerful earthquake that struck the North African country, Moroccan news agency MAP reported on Monday.

Britain sent 60 search and rescue experts, along with equipment and four search dogs to support the Moroccan-led operations, British Ambassador Simon Martin said in a post published early Monday.

Mr Martin said this on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter.

Morocco on Sunday said it responded to support offers made by Spain, Qatar, Britain and the UAE, which had proposed mobilising a group of research and rescue teams.

Rabat said it could later accept support offers made by other countries.

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Some 2,122 people have been killed since the quake rattled several parts of the country on Friday.

The magnitude 6.8 earthquake, the strongest to hit the area in 123 years, struck about 11:11 p.m. local time (11:11 p.m. Nigerian time) in the province of Al Haouz and was felt in Marrakesh, Casablanca, Rabat, Fez and other cities. Al Haouz is about 43 miles south of Marrakesh, a UNESCO World Heritage site, according to local media.

This triggered rockslides, blocking roads and making it hard for rescue teams to reach the large affected mountainous areas.

Rescuers have been racing against time in search of potential survivors in a challenging mission.

Witnesses said until Sunday some affected areas were still isolated because roads were blocked by landslides.

Some survivors said the smell of bodies was beginning to come out from under the rubble.


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