A week on from the destructive earthquake that struck Morocco on 8 September, Moroccan authorities have reported 3,000 people have died, and nearly 5,700 have been injured.
The number of casualties is increasing by the day however, and the death toll is expected to rise.
The impact has been devastating. Many houses, made of clay and wood, have totally collapsed.
Whole villages have been wiped off the map. Entire families now spend nights without a roof over their heads.
Complications
Rescue teams in the region are intensifying their efforts to search for survivors amongst the rubble as the likelihood of finding survivors diminishes by the day.
Early on 15 September, an aftershock with a 4.6 magnitude was felt throughout the Marrakesh region, further terrifying already traumatised families and complicating relief efforts.
The destruction of transport links is also providing obstacles for humanitarian agencies trying to deliver aid. Access roads are being used as alternative areas for temporary shelters, and traffic is building up as scared residents attempt to flee the danger zone, posing significant access problems to relief teams.
‘We want to show the world what happened‘
Hana el Abdallaoui, a member of Islamic Relief’s emergency team in Morocco, describes the latest efforts to rescue survivors of the destructive 8 September earthquake.
“Yesterday was a challenging day. There is a shortage of [essential survival] items in the region.
“Our colleagues reached a rural village named Egamar, Adassil. This village was badly affected, and residents explained to us how they have lost relatives and how they’re coping with the situation.
“One person explained that the next village is now considered a cemetery. 176 people lived there, but only 6 survived. When the rescue team was trying to get bodies out of the rubble, they were only finding severed legs, arms, and hands. It was impossible to extract bodies.
“We want to show the world about what happened here, and that we appreciate the hard work of our staff and volunteers across the world to support relief efforts.”
You can help
So far, Islamic Relief has distributed more than 400 blankets, 400 mattresses and 100 hygiene kits to affected communities in Amizmiz and Chichawa.
We will be distributing more essential items over the coming days, coordinating with our local partners.
Islamic Relief is appealing for £10 million to help earthquake survivors. With your kind donations, we can continue to provide relief for the people of Morocco: please donate whatever you can to our Morocco Earthquake Fund now.