Morocco earthquake: Death toll climbs to 2,497 in deadly disaster

Sep 11: A rare and powerful 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck Morocco late Friday night and killed more than 2100 people in the country's strongest quake in more than a century, according to Morocco's Interior Ministry.

At least 2,497 people have been confirmed dead in the aftermath of the earthquake, the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces said Monday. Another 2,476 were injured in the quake, as of 10 a.m. local time on Monday, the forces said.

The U.S. Geological Survey recorded the quake had 6.8-magnitude when it hit at 11:11 p.m. locally, with shaking that lasted several seconds. Morocco’s National Seismic Monitoring and Alert Network measured it at 7 on the Richter scale. The U.S. agency reported a 4.9-magnitude aftershock hit 19 minutes later.

Moroccan soldiers and aid teams in trucks and helicopters battled Monday to reach remote mountain towns devastated by a monstrous earthquake, with survivors desperate for help to find loved ones feared trapped under the rubble.

Heavy lifting equipment can't get through roads blocked by boulders to reach remote villages near the epicentre in the Atlas Mountains. Rescuers have been using their bare hands to dig for survivors.

Moroccan officials have so far accepted government-offered aid from just four countries — Spain, Qatar, Britain and the United Arab Emirates — and some foreign aid teams said they were awaiting permission to deploy. Morocco’s Interior Ministry says officials want to avoid a lack of coordination that “would be counterproductive.”

The United Nations estimates that 300,000 people were affected by Friday night’s magnitude 6.8 quake, made more dangerous by its relatively shallow depth.

Most of the destruction and deaths were in Al Haouz province in the High Atlas Mountains, where homes folded in on themselves and steep, winding roads became clogged with rubble. Residents sometimes cleared away rocks themselves.

People cheered when trucks full of soldiers arrived Sunday in the town of Amizmiz. But they pleaded for more help.

“It’s a catastrophe,’’ said survivor Salah Ancheu in the town where mountainside homes and a mosque’s minaret collapsed.

“We don’t know what the future is. The aid remains insufficient,” the 28-year-old said.

US President Joe Biden on Sunday expressed his "sadness by the loss of life and devastation caused by the earthquake in Morocco" and said the United States is committed to providing the country with all "necessary assistance."

During remarks in Vietnam, Biden said the United States is working to make sure Americans in Morocco are safe.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Morocco and my friend King Mohammed VI," Biden said. "We're working expeditiously to ensure American citizens in Morocco are safe, standing ready to provide any necessary assistance to the Moroccan people as well. We made that offer. "