Morocco Declares 3 Days of National Mourning After Deadly Earthquake
- AP Photo/Mosaab Elshamy
Morocco – Morocco declares three days of national mourning after a deadly earthquake killed more than 2,000 people in Marrakesh and around areas on Friday night.
This is due to the 6.8-magnitude quake was the largest to hit the North African country in 120 years.
The Ministry of Home Affairs revealed on Saturday night, that as many as 2,012 people were killed when the earthquake happened on Friday night, as quoted from the Associated Press on Sunday.
The death toll is expected to rise as rescue teams struggle to reach the most severely affected remote areas.
The ministry also said that the highest death tolls were recorded in Al Haouz province, with 1,293 dead; and Taroudant, with 452.
Jenazah korban tewas gempa di Marrakesh, Maroko, Sabtu, 9 September 2023
- AP Photo/Mosaab Elshamy
At least 2,059 people were injured, including 1,404 in critical condition.
Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant made a phone call with his Moroccan counterpart to express Israel's desire to help quake-hit Morocco.
Gallant ordered the Israeli military to prepare to provide humanitarian assistance to Morocco.
Israel and Morocco normalized relations in 2020 and have recently sought to deepen their diplomatic and security ties.
Moroccan Senate President Enaam Mayara was scheduled to be the first Moroccan official and one of the few Muslim leaders to set foot in the Knesset, or Israeli parliament, earlier this week, but canceled the visit to Israel at the last minute due to the earthquake emergency.
"An important part of the Ibrahim Agreement is our commitment to support our partners during difficult times," Gallant said in a statement on Saturday, referring to the US-brokered agreement that formalized relations between Israel and several Arab states.
