Morocco Quake Toll Tops 500
Rescuers using pick axes and bare hands chipped through the rubble of flattened mud-and-stone houses and concrete apartment blocks Wednesday, a day after a powerful earthquake killed more than 550 people in northern Morocco.
In the hard-hit town of Imzouren, teams with sniffing Labradors scaled mounds of crumbling brick and steel to search for signs of life. Sirens blared, and helicopters patrolled overhead for downed homes in an area where many people live in isolated enclaves kilometers (miles) away from neighbors.
The 6.5-magnitude quake shook areas near the coastal city of Al Hoceima, between the Rif Mountains and the Mediterranean Sea. The city was largely spared, but surrounding villages such as Imzouren were devastated.
Some 564 people were killed and some 300 were injured, the official MAP news agency reported. But the death toll was expected to rise as rescuers make their way to hard-to-reach rural areas on Wednesday, the international Red Cross in Geneva said.
The head of Morocco's catastrophe response unit was pessimistic about finding survivors.
"Of course if we hear of some, we'll deploy all the technical means we can to rescue them," Capt. Adil Ghazouli said in Imzouren, where he oversaw the demolition of a heavily damaged building where three bodies were believed to be buried.
Survivors spent a rainy, blustery night in makeshift tents fashioned from plastic sheeting. Others sat outside in chairs, bundled in blankets. Many were afraid to sleep indoors for fear of aftershocks.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies launched an appeal for US$2.3 million to pay for tents, blankets, mattresses, heaters and food. The Red Cross was also sending in a seven-member assessment team.
Aid began pouring in from Europe. France, Morocco's former colonial ruler, sent a plane with about 15 rescuers and their search dogs. Portugal sent a 29-member rescue team and six sniffer dogs.
Belgium sent tents, water purification kits, generators, medicine and other emergency supplies, as well as 20 personnel. The Finnish Red Cross sent clothing for 30,000 people, two large supply tents and a logistics officer.
King Mohammed VI planned a visit to the quake zone, which is home to Morocco's Berber minority and one of the most underdeveloped areas of the Mediterranean basin. Berbers, who have their own language, are considered the original inhabitants of North Africa.
Abderraouf El-Hadjtouhami, a 40-year-old unemployed farm worker, bitterly criticized the government for being ill-prepared to handle the catastrophe.
"The state isn't up to the job in this region," said El-Hadjtouhami, who lost three children in the quake. "What is the king going to do? The question is, what should he have done in the past? It's easier to react when it's already happened."
The Rif area was deeply mistrusted by Mohammed's father, the late King Hassan II, who quashed a rebellion of Berber tribes here in 1958 while he was still crown prince. Mohammed has taken some steps to integrate the north more fully into this Muslim kingdom, financing infrastructure projects.
The Al Hoceima region's economy is underpinned by cash sent home from men who moved to Europe to find work. Clandestine cannabis fields are another source of money.
Several small aftershocks were felt following the quake, causing panic among residents. One aftershock with a magnitude of 4.3 was felt around Al Hoceima at about 5 a.m. Wednesday, according to MAP. It quoted the geophysical laboratory of the National Scientific and Technical Research Center.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the quake was centered 100 miles northeast of Fez in the Mediterranean Sea. It occurred about a mile underground. The quake — which reverberated across the Strait of Gibraltar — was felt across much of southern Spain, but no damage or injuries were reported there.
Morocco's deadliest earthquake was in 1960, when 12,000 people were killed after a devastating quake destroyed the southern city of Agadir.