Morocco's grief etched on faces of earthquake survivors who've lost everything

09 September 2023 , 20:36

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A womanstands in front of her earthquake-damaged house in Marrakesh (Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Utter despair, disbelief and horror was everywhere among the ruined buildings and rubble strewn streets of Morocco today.

Stunned survivors of the earthquake huddled together, held their heads in their hands and covered their eyes – as rescue workers wrapped the dead in blankets and sheets and laid out their bodies in rows. Many had gone to bed after evening prayers before waking to apocalyptic scenes of terror.

People fled buildings and waited outside as volunteers worked through the night, searching for signs of life in the destruction. But daylight revealed the huge scale of the damage done by the 7.2 magnitude quake.

Whole villages were flattened. Streets had become rivers of rubble. Families picked through remains of crumbling homes looking for their missing loved ones.

A little child clings onto an adult for comfort after the atrocity (Xinhua/REX/Shutterstock)

Two children walk among the debris of damaged buildings (JALAL MORCHIDI/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

Some children clung to parents. Others played among the ruins as their mums and dads wept. The number of youngsters affected is not yet known.

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Save the Children is “monitoring the situation closely” but the charity’s North Africa representative, Mariam Mzoughi, said: “We fear the death toll will rise with many trapped in rubble and in hard-to-reach areas.

“We know this disaster will pose significant threats to the safety of children and their families across the country. We reaching out to agencies on the ground to see what support may be possible.”

The UN said more than 300,000 people have been affected by the earthquake. Survivors in Marrakech described the paralysing fear of aftershocks.

Bode Shonibare, a British-Nigerian banker, was on a visit to Marrakesh when the city was shaken to its core. He said: “Everyone ran outside. People were in shock, crying as they held babies. Everyone was terrified to go back into their houses. They just didn’t know if that was the end. Or if it might continue.”

Karen Rockett