Moroccans grieved the deaths of a terrible earthquake that killed over 2,000 people on Sunday, as rescuers scrambled to discover survivors buried in the wreckage of destroyed communities.
According to the most recent official data, the country’s biggest earthquake has killed at least 2,012 people and injured over 2,059, many of them gravely.
The 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck 72 kilometers (45 miles) southwest of Marrakesh, destroying entire towns in rural regions.
“I’ve lost everything,” said Lahcen, a resident of Moulay Brahim’s mountain hamlet, whose wife and four children were slaughtered.
Rescue crews uncovered the remains of Lahcen’s three daughters from the wreckage of what was once their house, but his wife and son have yet to be located.
“I can’t do anything about it now, I just want to get away from the world and mourn.”
Troops and rescue services have rushed to distant mountain settlements where people are believed to be stranded.
The governorate of Al-Haouz, which was the epicentre of the earthquake, had the highest deaths (1,293), followed by Taroudant (452).
cc: Punch Ng
