Moroccans left sleeping rough after earthquake kills 2,000 and demolishes homes

Moroccans have been left sleeping rough after a devastating earthquake killed more than 2,000 people.

Countless homes have been destroyed by the earthquake and more than 1,200 people are said to have been seriously hurt, according to the country’s interior ministry.

The quake hit Morocco late on Friday with the epicentre in the High Atlas Mountains, 71km (44 miles) south-west of Marrakesh, at a depth of 18.5km, the US Geological Survey has said.

Morocco’s National Institute of Geophysics reported that the earthquake had a magnitude of 7.2 on the Richter scale whereas the US Geological Survey put it at 6.8. There was a 4.9 aftershock 19 minutes later.

The precise magnitude of the quake could vary in the coming days as more data emerges.

Rescuers are still scrambling to save families trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings, especially in rural areas where there are reports of entire villages being flattened.

Southern, rural areas have been the worst hit but many of the mountain roads have been blocked by the quake’s debris meaning transporting equipment and personnel is difficult.

“There are a lot of people still under the rubble. People are still searching for their parents,” Adeeni Mustafa, a resident from the Asni area, told Reuters, standing by a road partially blocked by boulders.

“There are a lot of roads that are closed,” the said.

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There is a finite window of time to rescue people trapped after Friday night’s quake. Caroline Holt, operations director for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), warned on Saturday that the next 24 to 48 hours would be “critical in terms of saving lives”.

 “Search and rescue efforts will be prioritised in parallel, of course, with making sure that those that we know have survived are taken care of,” she said.

The latest figures from the interior ministry have put the death roll at 2,012, with 2,059 people injured including 1,404 in critical condition. However, the death toll is expected to rise even further over the coming days.

Morocco has declared three days of mourning and King Mohammed VI called for prayers for the dead to be held at mosques across the country on Sunday.

The tourist hotspot of Marrakesh has been significantly damaged, while tremours were felt in the capital Rabat and in Casablanca.

Residents have opted to stay outdoors for a second night on the streets due to fears of aftershocks.

This was after the authorities warned people all around Morocco not to go back in their houses after the earthquake.

The Red Cross said the country could take “several years” to recover from the natural disaster.

Hossam Elsharkawi, the Red Cross Middle East and North Africa director, said: “This will not be a week or two response as our region has seen in the big Syria/Türkiye earthquake, again we are looking at many months if not several years of response.”

More than 300,000 people in Marrakesh and its outskirts have been affected by the quake, said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The OCHA said it was “closely monitoring the situation and stands ready to support”.

The UN previously said it was prepared to “assist the government of Morocco in its efforts to assist the impacted population”.