Rescuers Work to Help Morocco Earthquake Victims
2023-09-12
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1Rescue workers continue to search the wreckage of a large earthquake that struck Morocco Friday.
2Officials say almost 2,500 were killed in the quake, but that they expect that number will rise.
3On Monday, Morocco's state news agency reported almost 2,500 others are injured.
4And, it reported more injured people continue to arrive at hospitals.
5Moroccan soldiers, doctors and other aid teams are still making their way to the Al Haouz area high in the Atlas mountains, the epicenter of the earthquake.
6The area is about 70 kilometers from the city of Marrakech.
7The United Nations said the magnitude 6.8 earthquake affected 300,000 people.
8The damage was great because the starting point of the shaking was not far below the ground.
9The U.S. Geological Survey said it was the strongest quake to strike the North African nation since 1900.
10And, it is reported to be country's deadliest since 1960, when at least 12,000 people were killed in and near the city of Agadir.
11So far, Morocco has accepted assistance from four countries - Spain, Qatar, Great Britain and the United Arab Emirates.
12Other nations have offered help, as well.
13But, the Moroccan government says it wants to avoid a "counterproductive" lack of coordination by accepting help from too many countries.
14One survivor, Salah Ancheu, called the earthquake "a catastrophe" even as a truckload of soldiers arrived in Amizmiz to help.
15"We don't know what the future is. The aid remains insufficient," the 28-year-old said.
16Mountainside homes and the tower of the local mosque fell down.
17Groups from the Moroccan army left Monday from Amizmiz to move into the small mountain villages.
18Heavy equipment was sent to clear the roads and both visitors and residents lined up to give blood.
19Some news reports said villagers wept as they saw dead bodies being carried through the streets.
20A number of nations said they were ready, but not yet permitted to send help.
21The group Rescuers Without Borders said about 100 teams, totaling 3,500 rescuers, are prepared to help.
22France said four of its citizens died. It has offered assistance but has not been given permission to send rescuers.
23In the Czech Republic, 70 rescuers are waiting at an airport for permission to enter Morocco.
24In Germany, a rescue team of 50 was sent home after waiting at an airport.
25A spokesperson from the German foreign ministry said Morocco's refusal of aid from some nations should not be seen as political.
26"I'm sure they have thought very carefully about which forces can be deployed and how they can get there," the spokesperson said.
27French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said France has offered more than $5 million in support.
28She said Morocco's decision on that offer is its own to make and "must be respected."
29Many people continue to sleep outside, fearing smaller earthquakes that often follow a major one.
30In the village of Imgdal, women and children gathered outside and some kept warm around an open fire on Monday morning.
31In another village, Tafeghaghte, Hamid ben Henna said his 8-year-old son died in the quake.
32He had gone to another room while the family was sharing a meal Friday. The rest of the family survived.
33On a road near the town of Adassil, close to the center of the quake, one rescue worker was trying to clear the rocks that were preventing vehicles from getting by.
34He said other roads were in bad shape.
35"We're trying to open them, too," said Ayman Koait.
36People said they dug through the rubble of their homes looking for relatives.
37They also moved rocks and walls looking for important items.
38Many of the homes are made from wood, rock, and mud, which made them fall easily when the ground started shaking.
39One military worker said "it is difficult to pull people out alive" because the walls turned to rubble and did not leave any space for air.
40UNESCO, the United Nations cultural organization, said many historic buildings in both Marrakech and the areas closer to the center of the earthquake were damaged.
41I'm Dan Friedell.
1Rescue workers continue to search the wreckage of a large earthquake that struck Morocco Friday. 2Officials say almost 2,500 were killed in the quake, but that they expect that number will rise. On Monday, Morocco's state news agency reported almost 2,500 others are injured. And, it reported more injured people continue to arrive at hospitals. 3Moroccan soldiers, doctors and other aid teams are still making their way to the Al Haouz area high in the Atlas mountains, the epicenter of the earthquake. The area is about 70 kilometers from the city of Marrakech. 4The United Nations said the magnitude 6.8 earthquake affected 300,000 people. The damage was great because the starting point of the shaking was not far below the ground. 5The U.S. Geological Survey said it was the strongest quake to strike the North African nation since 1900. And, it is reported to be country's deadliest since 1960, when at least 12,000 people were killed in and near the city of Agadir. 6Offers of help 7So far, Morocco has accepted assistance from four countries - Spain, Qatar, Great Britain and the United Arab Emirates. Other nations have offered help, as well. 8But, the Moroccan government says it wants to avoid a "counterproductive" lack of coordination by accepting help from too many countries. 9One survivor, Salah Ancheu, called the earthquake "a catastrophe" even as a truckload of soldiers arrived in Amizmiz to help. "We don't know what the future is. The aid remains insufficient," the 28-year-old said. 10Mountainside homes and the tower of the local mosque fell down. 11Groups from the Moroccan army left Monday from Amizmiz to move into the small mountain villages. Heavy equipment was sent to clear the roads and both visitors and residents lined up to give blood. 12Some news reports said villagers wept as they saw dead bodies being carried through the streets. 13A number of nations said they were ready, but not yet permitted to send help. The group Rescuers Without Borders said about 100 teams, totaling 3,500 rescuers, are prepared to help. 14France said four of its citizens died. It has offered assistance but has not been given permission to send rescuers. 15In the Czech Republic, 70 rescuers are waiting at an airport for permission to enter Morocco. In Germany, a rescue team of 50 was sent home after waiting at an airport. 16A spokesperson from the German foreign ministry said Morocco's refusal of aid from some nations should not be seen as political. "I'm sure they have thought very carefully about which forces can be deployed and how they can get there," the spokesperson said. 17French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said France has offered more than $5 million in support. She said Morocco's decision on that offer is its own to make and "must be respected." 18People sleeping outside 19Many people continue to sleep outside, fearing smaller earthquakes that often follow a major one. 20In the village of Imgdal, women and children gathered outside and some kept warm around an open fire on Monday morning. 21In another village, Tafeghaghte, Hamid ben Henna said his 8-year-old son died in the quake. He had gone to another room while the family was sharing a meal Friday. The rest of the family survived. 22On a road near the town of Adassil, close to the center of the quake, one rescue worker was trying to clear the rocks that were preventing vehicles from getting by. 23He said other roads were in bad shape. "We're trying to open them, too," said Ayman Koait. 24People said they dug through the rubble of their homes looking for relatives. They also moved rocks and walls looking for important items. 25Many of the homes are made from wood, rock, and mud, which made them fall easily when the ground started shaking. 26One military worker said "it is difficult to pull people out alive" because the walls turned to rubble and did not leave any space for air. 27UNESCO, the United Nations cultural organization, said many historic buildings in both Marrakech and the areas closer to the center of the earthquake were damaged. 28I'm Dan Friedell. 29Dan Friedell adapted this story for Learning English based on reports by The Associated Press and Reuters. 30____________________________________________________ 31Words in This Story 32epicenter-n. the strongest location of an earthquake 33magnitude-n. a numerical measurement of the strength of an earthquake 34counterproductive-adj. not helpful; working against an end result 35coordination-n. the act of working together 36catastrophe-n. a bad event; a disaster 37insufficient-adj. not enough