Morocco: death toll from earthquake exceeds 1,000

Morocco: death toll from earthquake exceeds 1,000

ByThe Mwebantu Team

At least 1,037 people died and more than 1,200 were injured in a powerful earthquake that devastated Morocco on the night of Friday September 8 to Saturday September 9.

A powerful earthquake struck the Shereef kingdom during the night from Friday to Saturday. The provisional toll of the violent earthquake now exceeds a thousand dead. The number of victims reached 1037, announced the Ministry of the Interior.

The quake also left 1,204 injured “of which 721 are in critical condition,” the ministry said in a statement. The previous report showed 820 dead and 672 injured.

Algiers decides to open its airspace to humanitarian flights

Algeria announced on Saturday that it had decided to open its airspace, closed since September 2021, to flights transporting humanitarian aid and injured people from the earthquake that struck Morocco on Friday. “The senior Algerian authorities have (…) decided to open the airspace to flights for the transport of humanitarian aid and the wounded”following the “violent earthquake” which struck this country, indicated the Algerian presidency in a press release.

Algiers closed its airspace on September 22, 2021 to all Moroccan civil and military aircraft after severing diplomatic relations with Rabat against the backdrop of a serious diplomatic crisis between the two Maghreb rivals. The Algerian authorities also said they were “fully prepared to provide humanitarian aid and to mobilize all material and human resources in solidarity with the brotherly Moroccan people, in the event of a request from the Kingdom of Morocco”, according to the press release from the presidency.

In a statement issued earlier by its Foreign Ministry, Algeria offered “its sincere condolences to the brotherly Moroccan people for the victims of the earthquake”.

The Mwebantu Team
The Mwebantu Team

Led by Nia, the insightful editor-in-chief, Kwame, our technology expert, and Amara, the bold field reporter, the Mwebantu team weaves the vibrant narrative of Africa every day, forging a narrative bridge between the continent and the world. Their shared passion illuminates the mission of Mwebantu News, making African voices resonate on the global stage.