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Morocco mourns earthquake victims as death toll crosses 2,000

Moroccans in Moulay Brahim village mourn neighbours who perished in the devastating earthquake.

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A woman in front of her earthquake-damaged house in the old city in Marrakesh. [Fadel Senna/AFP]
Published On 10 Sep 2023

Moroccans are mourning the victims of a devastating earthquake that has killed more than 2,000 people as rescue teams raced to find survivors trapped in the rubble of flattened villages.

At least 2,059 people have been injured in the strongest-ever quake to hit the country, many of them critically.

Friday’s magnitude 6.8 quake struck 72km (45 miles) southwest of Marrakesh, wiping out several villages in rural areas. 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, recorded the most deaths with 1,293, followed by 452 in Taroudant province.

Neighbouring Algeria, which has had rocky relations with Morocco, opened its airspace, which had been closed for two years, to flights carrying humanitarian aid and the injured.

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Uncertainty gripped many in Marrakesh, some 70km (45 miles) northeast 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 or days. [Fadel Senna/AFP]
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The ground shook with a force few had ever felt, thundering through the remote Moroccan village at night. [Fadel Senna/AFP]
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A man digs a grave to bury the body of a victim of the earthquake in Ouargane village, near Marrakesh. [Mosa'ab Elshamy/AP Photo]
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After the earthquake, the town carved into the Atlas Mountains lay in devastation — possibly dozens dead, scores of homes crumpled and walls reduced to rubble. Soon, crews were listening for desperate sounds of life within the ruins of Moulay Brahim. [Mosa'ab Elshamy/AP Photo]
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Hasna, 44, kisses her son Mohamed Jad, five, inside their damaged house in Moulay Brahim village in Al-Haouz province. [Nacho Doce/Reuters]
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A village of fewer than 3,000 people, Moulay Brahim attracts tourists and outdoor enthusiasts with its stunning vistas and proximity to Marrakesh. [Mosa'ab Elshamy/AP Photo]
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Families in Marrakesh huddled into the early hours of Sunday, spending a second night on the streets. [Mosa'ab Elshamy/AP Photo]
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Moroccan Royal Armed Forces evacuate a body from a house destroyed in an earthquake in the mountain village of Tafeghaghte, southwest of Marrakesh. [Fadel Senna/AFP]
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People in the poor rural community about 45km (28 miles) northeast of the epicentre live in homes made of clay brick and cinder block, many of which are no longer standing or safe to inhabit. [Fadel Senna/AFP]
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Fallen walls exposed the innards of damaged homes, their rubble sliding down hills. [Fadel Senna/AFP]
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Mohamed, 66, his daughter Hasna, 44, and grandson Jad, five, stand near their damaged house in Moulay Brahim village in Al-Haouz province. [Nacho Doce/Reuters]