Death toll from Morocco earthquake rises to over 2000 04:06 Abroad There are fears of even more victims. Rescue workers are having difficulty reaching hard-hit remote areas.

In Morocco, the death toll as a result of the earthquake has risen to more than 2,000. According to the Ministry of the Interior in Morocco, at least 2,012 people have died. Most people died in the provinces of Al Haouz (1293) and Taroudant (452). There are also at least 2,059 injuries.

The death toll is expected to rise further. Rescue workers are struggling to reach several hard-hit remote areas. In the town of Asni, about 40 kilometers south of Marrakech, almost all homes have been damaged and people are forced to sleep on the streets. The damage is also extensive in other mountain villages near the epicenter.

People elsewhere also spend the night outdoors. In the city of Marrakech itself, hundreds of people sleep on the streets. This happens, among other things, on the central square Djemaa el Fna.

The quake struck just after 11 p.m. local time (midnight in the Netherlands) on Friday evening and had a magnitude of 7.2, according to the Moroccan geological service. The US Geological Survey lists a magnitude of 6.8. About twenty minutes later there was another aftershock with a magnitude of 4.9.

Morocco has declared three days of national mourning. The Moroccan flag will be flown at half-mast in the coming days. King Mohammed VI said in a statement last night that food, clean drinking water, tents and blankets will be provided.

In many places the devastation is enormous, and the despair is great:

Morocco has now received help from all over the world, including from Turkey. That country was hit by a major earthquake earlier this year, killing tens of thousands of people. Germany, France, Israel and Qatar, among others, have also offered help.

President Biden (US) says the Americans are ready to “provide all necessary assistance to the Moroccan people”. The Netherlands has made 5 million euros available for assistance. “We will of course continue to look at what else the Netherlands can do,” outgoing Minister Schreinemacher said yesterday.

Rival Algeria has offered to open its airspace to medical and aid flights. Algeria severed its diplomatic ties with Morocco two years ago. The country also says it is willing to provide aid if Morocco requests it.