The earthquake of a 7.2 magnitude in the night from Friday to Saturday left 2122 dead and 2421 injured, according to a new assessment published yesterday afternoon by the Moroccan Ministry of the Interior while the rescuers continue the research and the extraction of the bodies who are under the rubble.
In addition, more than 18,000 families were affected by the earthquake in the province of Al-Haouz, epicenter of the earthquake, located south of Marrakech, where more than half of the dead (1351) were identified.
Morocco announced Sunday that it has accepted the help of only four countries after the powerful earthquake that struck it: Spain, the United Kingdom, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
The Ministry of the Interior reported in a statement that Morocco had responded favorably, “at this stage” to the offers of these four countries to “send research and rescue teams”, while several other states, including France and the United States, said they were ready to help.
A team under the Tunisian red crescent must be dispatched to the disaster areas to participate in the operations to take care of the injured.
Tunisian civil protection teams went to Morocco on Saturday evening to support research and rescue efforts. The teams consist of 50 agents and executives of the specialized unit, 6 doctors of civil protection and 4 canine.
Advanced thermal surveillance devices and a drone to detect the victims under the rubble will be used. A campaign hospital affiliated with civil protection will also be sent to contribute to rescue operations and take charge of the injured.
