A 6.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Morocco late Friday night has killed no fewer than 1,037 people, according to Morocco’s Interior Ministry.
According to the Associated Press, more than 1,204 others are injured, 721 of whom are injured critically.
The U.S. Geological Survey recorded the quake had 6.8-magnitude when it hit at 11:11 p.m. locally, with shaking that lasted several seconds.
Morocco’s National Seismic Monitoring and Alert Network measured it at 7 on the Richter scale.
The U.S. agency reported a 4.9-magnitude aftershock hit 19 minutes later.
Moroccan troops and emergency services are scrambling to reach remote mountain villages where casualties are still feared trapped.
In the mountain village of Moulay Brahim near the quake’s epicentre, rescue teams searched for survivors in the rubble of collapsed houses while residents began digging graves for the dead on a nearby hill.
The army set up a field hospital in the village and deployed “significant human and logistical resources” to support the rescue operation, state news agency MAP reported.
Marrakech has a population of almost a million people, a popular tourist destination known for its historic palaces. Marrakech hosted the 2016 United Nations Climate Change Conference.
Reacting to the disaster, President Biden, in a written statement, said that he was “deeply saddened by the loss of life and devastation caused by the earthquake in Morocco.”
READ ALSO: 30 Persons Reportedly Killed In Abuja Landslide
“Our thoughts and prayers are with all those impacted by this terrible hardship,” the president said. “My administration is in contact with Moroccan officials. We are working expeditiously to ensure American citizens in Morocco are safe and stand ready to provide any necessary assistance for the Moroccan people. The United States stands by Morocco and my friend King Mohammed VI at this difficult moment.”
In an update published by Al Jazeera, Morocco’s qualifying game for the African Cup of Nations has been postponed in the wake of the earthquake that struck the country.
Morocco had been scheduled to play Liberia in Agadir on the country’s western coast, but the Moroccan football federation said the game had been postponed indefinitely after an agreement with the Confederation of African Football.
Meanwhile, Algeria has offered humanitarian aid and has offered to open its airspace to allow eventual humanitarian aid or medical evacuation flights in and out of neighbouring Morocco as the death toll continues to rise.
The country, which is bordered by Morocco to the west, closed the airspace when its government severed diplomatic ties with Morocco in 2021 over a series of issues. The countries have a decades-long dispute involving the territory of Western Sahara.
Algeria said it is ready to offer humanitarian aid “in solidarity with the brotherly Moroccan people, in case the authorities of the Moroccan kingdom express a wish for this,” Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune’s office said in a statement Saturday.
The statement also offered condolences for the dead and “deepest compassion” for the injured.”
Turkey authorities also said they are ready to send 265 personnel and 1,000 tents to Morocco to support aid efforts following the deadly earthquake, according to AFAD, Turkey’s Emergency Management Authority.
In a statement, AFAD said it is responding to calls for international aid from Morocco. “A total of 265 personnel from AFAD, Ministry of Health’s National Rescue Team UMKE, Turkish Red Crescent and other NGOs are ready to take action,” it said.
AFAD also outlined that it is also able to send 1,000 tents to the region to assist people affected by the earthquake.
“We offer our condolences to the people of Morocco who were affected by the earthquake,” the agency said, according to the statement.
In February, a devastating earthquake hit Turkey, killing at least 45,000 people, rendering millions homeless across almost a dozen cities, and causing immediate damage estimated at $34 billion.