More than 2,000 people have died and villages are in ruins. The coming days are crucial, but the king does not want to accept help.
The search for buried victims is in full swing. Time and time again, people are rescued alive from the rubble. For example, one video shows helpers lifting a baby from the rubble – to the cheers of the family recently rescued from their collapsed home. The residents of the remote villages in particular were in urgent need of help. Drinking water and food are scarce because even a day after the earthquake, many access roads to the mountains are still impassable.
“The next 24 to 48 hours are crucial to save lives,” explains Caroline Holt of the International Committee of the Red Cross. People must be provided with clean water. “Hygiene is particularly important now. We must prevent a catastrophe within a catastrophe.” Many people near the epicenter will likely have to live in emergency shelters for a long time. Even those whose homes had survived the devastating tremors spent the second night outside, fearing further aftershocks.
And indeed: on Sunday morning an aftershock with a magnitude of 3.9 shook Morocco. In cities like Marrakech, the solidarity of the population is currently particularly high: people are queuing outside blood donation centers to help. In the meantime, even states that previously had little friendly feelings toward Morocco have offered their help. Spain, Great Britain, Israel and Turkey, among others, offered their help.
The Austrian Federal Army is also on standby. So far, King Mohamed VI has done that. Although they were thanked for the offer of help, they did not accept it and did not ask for support themselves.
It took almost a day for King to convene a crisis team
The 60-year-old, who returned from Paris after the earthquake, led an initial crisis meeting at the royal palace in Rabat. As commander-in-chief of the armed forces, he mobilized the army, which reached even the most remote places on Sunday – if not by heavy vehicles, then by air. The monarch established a ministerial committee to coordinate rescue and relief efforts and declared three days of national mourning.
Moreover, King Mohamed VI demanded. his own foundation to support the survivors. Although the king has recently spent more time abroad than at home, he did not personally appear in front of the cameras on Sunday to address the population and he did not initially travel to the disaster area.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
