Thousands of deaths and injuries caused after a 6.8 magnitude earthquake hit the city of Marrakech in Al Haouz province. About 3000 residents were reported dead after the initial earthquake and its aftershocks. These types of powerful shakes have happened near Morocco decades before, but are especially rare in Southern Morocco. The nation had not seen anything this deadly in 60 years. Over 2,500 people were injured, and there were at least 2,700 fatalities. A fault slips suddenly, resulting in an earthquake. Although the tectonic plates are constantly moving slowly, friction causes them to become stuck at their borders.
Because of the developed tension between the African and Eurasian plates over time, the edge that faces the mountains slipped over the other during the earthquake, pushing the hill upward. Reverse earthquake faults are located to the north of the Atlas Mountains and at one point dropped in their direction, according to geologist Paula Marques Figueiredo, who studies active tectonics and neotectonics.
Tinzert is now nothing more than a huge mound of debris due to the earthquake. It is impossible to distinguish between one home and another due to the extensive damage. Help has been delayed in coming and has so far primarily taken the form of food and water that volunteers from all around Morocco have driven up into the highlands in their personal vehicles. The High Atlas Mountains are where the hardest-hit areas are located. The climate is harsh, and the terrain is unforgiving. Already a challenging area to travel through, it has become even more challenging in the wake of this terrible earthquake. In addition, the current infrastructure is severely out-of-date and lacking: the majority of the roads are not paved, there is little access to running water, and the energy is unreliable. The houses in this area were old and constructed with mud and straw according to custom. They didn’t need to be built to withstand earthquakes and weren’t. There haven’t been any very damaging earthquakes in this region. The streets are gone; instead, dangerous alleyways have been built on top of the rubble. Because all the materials will need to be carried in from the outside and, at least temporarily, delivered via helicopters and planes, rebuilding these places will require a tremendous amount of time and resources.
Al-Haouz was the region most severely impacted, while other provinces also suffered grave losses. Rescue personnel are having trouble getting to other rural settlements because some of them were entirely destroyed. The earthquake resulted in the homelessness of thousands of people, the evacuation of many, and an announcement of three days of mourning by the government.
According to the World Health Organization, the earthquake in Marrakech and the surrounding areas affected more than 30,000 people.
In the Al-Haouz area, hundreds of families have been forced to relocate. Mohamed, living in Tiniskt, recently had to move into tents after telling reporters “his uncle and three cousins had died in the earthquake” on Al Jazeeras live reports. Now living in a more stable environment, search and rescue teams are reinforced, providing drinking water, food, and warm shelters. Near the earthquake center, where a temporary settlement has been built to house those who survived, the Moroccan Civil Defense Institution is supplying food, clothing, and shelter.
