Death toll from Morocco earthquake rises to 2,012 dead and 2,059 injured

An earthquake measuring 7 on the Richter scale struck several regions in Morocco, with its epicenter in Al Haouz and Marrakesh.

The Moroccan Ministry of the Interior announced that the death toll from the violent earthquake that struck Morocco last Friday night has risen to 2,012 dead and 2,059 injured, including 1,404 having serious injuries.

The Moroccan News Agency quoted the ministry as saying in a statement: The authorities continue their efforts to rescue and evacuate the wounded, treat the injured, and mobilize all necessary capabilities. The majority of deaths are concentrated in the regions of Al Haouz (1293) and Taroudant (452), the most affected region south of Marrakech.

Medical sources and civil defense in Morocco expect the death toll to rise as rescue operations continue.

Three days of national mourning for the earthquake victims was declared on Saturday.

Moroccan Minister of Justice, Abdel Latif Wehbe, said: A number of villages located in the vicinity of the epicenter of the devastating earthquake have completely disappeared.

In an interview with a TV channel, Wehbe pointed out that a number of old neighborhoods, some of which are historical, in the city of Taroudant have been severely damaged.

Several villages in the Al-Houz region, the epicenter of the earthquake, were severely destroyed, and the authorities were forced to use drones to help field crews discover the bodies, in addition to using airplanes to conduct a comprehensive survey of various material losses, and to deliver humanitarian aid to those living in mountainous areas.

Inas Abdulkareem