Today, Sunday, in all mosques of the Kingdom of Morocco, absentee prayers were held for the souls of the victims of the earthquake, which so far number 2,012 people, while flags were at half-mast on the first day of three days of national mourning.
On another level, the earthquake sparked a wide wave of solidarity from many heads of state, government and international organizations, who expressed their condolences and solidarity with the Kingdom and the Moroccan people.
International support
Neighboring Spain sent a team of 56 rescuers, after receiving an official request from Rabat, while the International Committee of the Red Cross alerted that Morocco’s needs for aid are enormous, stressing the importance of delivering it within the next day or two.
US Deputy National Security Advisor John Feiner announced that his country “clearly informed the Moroccan government that it is ready to provide significant assistance.”
He added: “We have search and rescue teams ready to deploy and are also prepared to release funds in a timely manner to help the Moroccan people rise up and confront this horrific tragedy.”
French President Emmanuel Macron, who described the earthquake as a “tragedy,” said that Paris “mobilized all technical and security teams to be able to intervene when the Moroccan authorities deem this useful.”
He pointed out that the Moroccan authorities “know exactly what we can provide, its nature, and the timing of that,” stressing that “the moment this assistance is requested, it will be sent, and we are ready for that.”
Rescue teams
At the end of the G20 summit in New Delhi, Macron, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Comoros President Gazali Ousmani, whose country currently chairs the African Union, in addition to officials from the International Monetary Fund and the European Commission, signed a joint declaration in which they pledged “to provide all necessary assistance to urgent needs in the long term.” The near future and reconstruction efforts.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, headquartered in Geneva, disbursed one million Swiss francs ($1.1 million) from its Disaster Emergency Response Fund to support the field work of the Moroccan Red Crescent.
At the end of the G20 summit in New Delhi, Macron, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Comoros President Gazali Assoumani, whose country currently chairs the African Union, in addition to officials from the International Monetary Fund and the European Commission, signed a joint declaration in which they pledged to “provide all necessary assistance to meet the urgent needs of… “Near-term and reconstruction efforts.”
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, headquartered in Geneva, disbursed one million Swiss francs ($1.1 million) from its Disaster Emergency Response Fund to support the field work of the Moroccan Red Crescent.
Meanwhile, volunteers continue to flock to blood donation centers in several Moroccan cities on Sunday, according to pictures broadcast by local media, after the second strongest aftershock recorded since Friday night, with an intensity of 4.5 degrees, was recorded on Sunday morning.
Donation campaign
Several Moroccan cities witnessed heavy demand on Saturday and Sunday for blood donation centers in solidarity with the victims of the earthquake that struck on Friday evening in the Marrakesh-Safi region.
This operation, in which National Security personnel, the Royal Gendarmerie, the judiciary and civil society associations also participated, aimed to increase stocks of blood products in hospitals and contribute to saving human lives.
The official Maghreb Arab News Agency said that as soon as the centers were opened, “citizens, men and women, flocked in large numbers to participate in this humanitarian solidarity operation, to enhance blood stocks and help the victims of the Al Haouz earthquake, which left many dead and injured.”
The head of the blood bank unit, Khadija Al-Azhari, confirmed that the first day of this comprehensive mobilization “witnessed the collection of an important number of blood bags,” noting that its goal is to replenish blood stocks and encourage donors to contribute to this humanitarian initiative.
In the latest toll of the Moroccan Ministry of Interior, the number of victims of the earthquake rose to 2,012 people, and the number of injured to 2,059, including 1,404 in serious condition.
