UNITED STATES NEWS

Live Updates: Morocco struggles after rare, powerful earthquake kills and injures scores of people

Sep 9, 2023, 7:22 AM

CORRECTS NAME OF VILLAGE - People prepare to burry a man who was killed by the earthquake, in Moula...

CORRECTS NAME OF VILLAGE - People prepare to burry a man who was killed by the earthquake, in Moulay Brahim village, near Marrakech, Morocco, Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023. A rare, powerful earthquake struck Morocco late Friday night, killing more than 800 people and damaging buildings from villages in the Atlas Mountains to the historic city of Marrakech. But the full toll was not known as rescuers struggled to get through boulder-strewn roads to the remote mountain villages hit hardest. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS

(AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Follow live updates of a deadly, powerful earthquake that struck Morocco, killing more than 1,300 people and causing widespread damage in and around the city of Marrakesh.

WHAT TO KNOW:

— Morocco was shaken by a 6.8 magnitude earthquake late Friday

— Morocco’s African Cup qualifier postponed because of quake

— A look at some of the deadliest quakes in the last 25 years

DEATH TOLL FROM MOROCCO EARTHQUAKE IS REVISED UPWARD

Morocco has revised upward the death toll from a powerful earthquake that shook Marrakesh and surrounding regions.

The Interior Ministry said late Saturday that 1,305 people were killed when the temblor struck late Friday. The toll is expected to rise as rescuers struggled to reach hard-hit remote areas.

The ministry said the highest number of deaths were recorded in Al Houze province, with 694 killed; and Taroudant, with 347.

The government also announced three days of national mourning.

The magnitude 6.8 quake on Friday was the biggest to hit the North African country in 120 years.

ISRAEL PREPARES TO SEND HELP TO QUAKE-STRIKEN MOROCCO

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant held a phone call with his Moroccan counterpart to express Israel’s desire to assist the earthquake-stricken country “as much as is required.” Gallant ordered the Israeli military to prepare to provide Morocco with humanitarian aid.

Israel and Morocco normalized relations in 2020 and have recently moved to deepen their diplomatic and security ties. Moroccan Senate president Enaam Mayara was scheduled to be the first Moroccan official and one of the few Muslim leaders ever to set foot in Israel’s Knesset, or parliament, earlier in the week but called off the visit to Israel at the last minute due to a medical emergency.

“A significant part of the Abraham Accords is our commitment to stand by our partners during difficult times,” Gallant said a in statement Saturday, referring to the U.S.-brokered accords that formalized ties between Israel and some Arab nations.

MOROCCO RECEIVES OFFERS OF HELP

President Joe Biden was among world leaders expressing sadness at the devastation facing the North African kingdom of Morocco after a powerful earthquake shook Marrakesh and its environs and killed more than 1,000 people.

Biden said Saturday that U.S. officials had been in contact with Morocco to offer help.

“We are working expeditiously to ensure American citizens in Morocco are safe, and stand ready to provide any necessary assistance for the Moroccan people. The United States stands by Morocco and my friend King Mohammed VI at this difficult moment.”

Turkey, which lost tens of thousands of people in a massive earthquake earlier this year, was among those proposing assistance. France and Germany, with large populations of people with Moroccan origins, also offered to help. Israel’s Foreign Ministry said the government has been in touch with Moroccan officials about the possibility of providing help or rescue assistance.

Elsewhere, Qatar offered “provide all necessary assistance to the affected areas to support their recovery from the effects of the earthquake,” according to a statement by Qatar News Agency. The Emirates News Agency reported that Dubai police rescue teams were dispatching aid. King Abdullah II of Jordan also extended an offer of help.

Pope Francis sent a telegram of condolences, expressing his “profound solidarity” with those affected by the catastrophe. Francis visited Morocco in 2019.

ALGERIA OFFERS TO OPEN ITS AIRSPACE

Algeria has offered humanitarian aid to neighboring Morocco after a powerful earthquake in the kingdom on Friday night left more than 1,000 people dead.

In an exceptional move, Algeria offered to open its airspace to allow eventual humanitarian aid or medical evacuation flights to travel to and from Morocco. Algeria closed the airspace when its government severed diplomatic ties with Morocco in 2021 over a series of issues. The countries have a decades-long dispute involving the territory of Western Sahara.

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune’s office said in a statement Saturday that Algeria is ready to offer humanitarian aid ‘’in solidarity with the brotherly Moroccan people, in case the authorities of the Moroccan kingdom express a wish for this.’’

The statement also offered to reopen the airspace, and condolences for the dead and ‘’deepest compassion’’ for the injured.

DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS OFFERS HELP

Doctors Without Borders, or MSF, says it is prepared to respond to the earthquake in Morocco that killed more than 1,000 people and left many more injured.

People were jolted out of bed Friday night by the magnitude 6.8 quake, a rarity in Morocco. In addition to the dead and injured, scores of structures not built to withstand such a powerful temblor crashed to the ground.

Avril Benoît, executive director of MSF-USA, said in a statement that people who live in the affected region are “key to the initial response” when searching for survivors.

“Earthquake survivors often require medical care such as surgery or dialysis, which can be a challenge when local health systems are affected by a disaster. Restoring health services and providing essential supplies also can be a priority at this stage. Our response will depend on the needs that are assessed on site.”

The dead are mostly in Marrakech and the five provinces near the quake’s epicenter, Morocco’s Interior Ministry reported Saturday morning.

United States News

FILE - Protesters shout before a speaking engagement by Ben Shapiro on the campus of the University...

Associated Press

Few Americans say conservatives can speak freely on college campuses, AP-NORC/UChicago poll shows

WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans view college campuses as far friendlier to liberals than to conservatives when it comes to free speech, with adults across the political spectrum seeing less tolerance for those on the right, according to a new poll. Overall, 47% of adults say liberals have “a lot” of freedom to express their views […]

3 hours ago

Fencer Kirsten Hawkes poses for a portrait at a fencing studio Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023, in San Dieg...

Associated Press

Forced kiss claim leads to ‘helplessness’ for accuser who turned to Olympics abuse-fighting agency

DENVER (AP) — When Kirsten Hawkes, a one-time elite fencer, reached out to her childhood coach for advice about starting her own fencing club, their meeting turned awkward right away. It began, she said, with an unwanted kiss on the lips when the two met at a bar during a fencing tournament in Minneapolis last […]

3 hours ago

FILE - President Joe Biden and California Gov. Gavin Newsom wait for reporters to leave the room du...

Associated Press

California governor to name Laphonza Butler, former Kamala Harris adviser, to Feinstein Senate seat

LOS ANGELES (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom will name Laphonza Butler, a Democratic strategist and adviser to Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign, to fill the vacant U.S. Senate seat held by the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a spokesman in his office said Sunday. In choosing Butler, Newsom fulfilled his pledge to appoint a Black woman […]

4 hours ago

File - The Southern University Human Jukebox marching band warms up before the 2023 National Battle...

Associated Press

Federal student loan payments are starting again. Here’s what you need to know

Federal student loan borrowers will need to start making payments again this month after a three-year-plus pause due to the pandemic.

4 hours ago

FILE - Former President Donald Trump speaks in Clinton Township, Mich., Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023. ...

Associated Press

Donald Trump says he will be in courtroom for New York trial scrutinizing his business practices

NEW YORK (AP) — With control over some of his most prized real estate holdings in jeopardy, former President Donald Trump says he will make a rare, voluntary trip to court Monday for the start of a civil trial in a lawsuit that has already resulted in a judge ruling that he committed fraud in […]

4 hours ago

Associated Press

A woman who fled the Maui wildfire on foot has died after weeks in a hospital burn unit

HONOLULU (AP) — A woman who escaped a wildfire that destroyed Hawaii community by running through a burning field has died after spending more than seven weeks in a hospital burn unit. Laurie Allen died Friday at Straub Medical Center in Honolulu, according to a gofundme page set up for her and her husband, Perry […]

11 hours ago

Sponsored Articles

...

DAY & NIGHT AIR CONDITIONING, HEATING AND PLUMBING

Importance of AC maintenance after Arizona’s excruciating heat wave

An air conditioning unit in Phoenix is vital to living a comfortable life inside, away from triple-digit heat.

...

Ability360

At Ability360, every day is Independence Day

With 100 different programs and services, more than 1,500 non-medically based home care staff, a world-renowned Sports & Fitness Center and over 15,000 people with disabilities served annually, across all ages and demographics, Ability360 is a nationwide leader in the disability community.

...

OCD & Anxiety Treatment Center

5 mental health myths you didn’t know were made up

Helping individuals understand mental health diagnoses like obsessive compulsive spectrum disorder or generalized anxiety disorder isn’t always an easy undertaking. After all, our society tends to spread misconceptions about mental health like wildfire. This is why being mindful about how we talk about mental health is so important. We can either perpetuate misinformation about already […]

Live Updates: Morocco struggles after rare, powerful earthquake kills and injures scores of people