Families in Marrakesh spent a second night huddled on the streets after Morocco’s deadliest earthquake in more than half a century left many fearing their homes were no longer safe to return to.
Uncertainty gripped the people of Marrakesh, about 70 km north-east of the epicentre, as they worried the quake that has killed more than 2,000 may have damaged their homes or that an aftershock could destroy them in the coming hours.
Since Friday’s quake, 51-year-old Mouhamad Ayat Elhaj has slept on the streets with his family near the city’s historic Medina after finding signs of damage to his home, including cracks in the walls.
“I cannot sleep there. I am asking the authorities to help me and bring in an expert to assess whether it is possible for me to return to the house or not,” he told Reuters.
“If there is a risk, I will not return to the house.”
Across parts of Morocco, many people spent the night outdoors on Friday after the earthquake hit the country.
By Saturday, the number of people killed had risen to 2,012 and another 2,059 were injured, according to the Ministry of Interior.
Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs said it is not aware of any Australian casualties or hospitalisations, but extended its sympathies to those affected.
“Australia stands ready to consider any request for assistance,” a spokesperson said.
The government has not received any requests, but is a contributor to the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, which has released $1.76 million to assist the local response.
The Red Cross warned that it could take years to repair the damage.
“It won’t be a matter of a week or two … We are counting on a response that will take months, if not years,” Hossam Elsharkawi, the organisation’s Middle East and North Africa director, said in a statement.
Authorities declared three days of national mourning, while several countries, including Israel, France, Spain, Italy and the United States, have offered aid.
Parts of Marrakesh’s historical Medina, a popular tourist attraction for Moroccans and foreigners, were damaged in the earthquake.
On Saturday, Moroccans and foreigners were walking through the ancient city taking photos of the damage and eating at popular restaurants while others gathered to sleep in the main square.
Noureddine Lahbabi, a retired 68-year-old man with four children, preparing to sleep outside for a second night, said the damage caused to people’s homes was distressing.
“It’s a painful experience. When this happens to your brother or sister, it’s really painful,” he said.
Mohamed Aithadi, a Moroccan-American, was surveying the damage to a mosque in the Medina on Saturday near where his mother is living.
He said he had been in the Medina’s main square when the earthquake struck and on Saturday urged Moroccans to take care of those most vulnerable.
“I am very sure that our people, our Moroccan people and our Moroccan community can get together and go through this safely and peacefully,” he said.
Away from the Medina, families were sleeping in open spaces and along roads.
Eleven-year-old Jowra, speaking alongside her father, said she felt uneasy having to sleep near strangers.
Meanwhile, tourists queued at the Marrakesh Menara Airport overnight, and boarded special flights leaving the country.
Families mourn and bury their dead
“I’ve lost everything”, said Lahcen, a resident of the mountain village of Moulay Brahim whose wife and four children were killed.
Rescue workers recovered the bodies of Lahcen’s three daughters from the rubble of what was once their home, but have not yet found the bodies of his wife and son.
“I can’t do anything about it now, I just want to get away from the world and mourn.”
Troops and emergency services have scrambled to reach remote mountain villages where victims are still feared trapped.
Al-Haouz province, where the epicentre of the earthquake was located, suffered the most deaths with 1,293, followed by the province of Taroudant with 452.
Bouchra, also a resident of Moulay Brahim, dried her tears with her scarf as she watched men digging graves to bury the victims.
“My cousin’s grandchildren are dead”, she said in a knotted voice.
“I saw the devastation of the earthquake live, and I’m still shaking.
“It’s like a ball of fire that has swallowed up everything in its path.
“Everyone here has lost family, whether in our village or elsewhere in the region”, she added.
Residents buried around 70 victims in the nearby cemetery on Saturday, as the funeral rites were punctuated by cries and screams.
“Three of my grandchildren and their mother are dead,” said 72-year-old Omar Benhanna.
“They’re still under the debris. It wasn’t so long ago that we were playing together.”
ABC/Reuters/AFP