MOROCCO EARTHQUAKE: Morocco’s interior ministry confirmed Saturday morning that at least 1,037 people were killed and more than 1,200 were injured.
The death toll from the powerful 6.8 magnitude earthquake that hit Morocco on Friday night exceeded 1,000, Reuters reported on state television.
The death toll is expected to rise as search and rescue efforts continue to search for survivors among the dust and rubble.
The Morocco interior ministry confirmed on Saturday morning that at least 1,037 people were killed and 1,204 people were injured, mostly in the tourism capital Marrakech and five provinces close to the capital.
As the strongest earthquake in the last 120 years hits the North African country, photos and videos across the country show people panicking and running away in fear and disbelief.
The country’s infrastructure was seriously damaged, as stone and masonry ancient cities were vulnerable to earthquakes.
Algeria, which cut ties with Morocco last year, announced on Saturday that it would open its airport for humanitarian and medical flights to earthquake-hit Morocco.
Algeria first “expressed its condolences to Moroccon brothers for those who lost their lives in the earthquake,” according to the foreign ministry.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs said that 721 of all the injured were in serious condition. He also noted that more than half of the injured found so far were in the main provinces such as Al-Haouz and Taroudant.
After the disaster, King VI of Morocco. Mohammed ordered the army to assemble air and ground forces, search and rescue teams, and surgical hospitals and land resources.
Although condolences and aid messages have been sent to Morocco from all over the world, the country’s government has not yet appealed for help, a necessary step taken before external aid workers are sent.
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