Journalism of Courage
More than 1,000 people were killed as rescuers struggled Saturday to get through to the remote areas in Morocco after an earthquake hit the region. (AP)
The North African country was hit by a magnitude-6.8 quake late Friday night, sending people scurrying out of their homes. (AP)
The magnitude-6.8 quake is the biggest to hit Morocco since 1960, when a tremor was estimated to have killed at least 12,000 people. (AP)
The 1,037 deaths were mostly in Marrakech and five provinces near the quake’s epicenter, and another 1,204 people were injured, Morocco's Interior Ministry reported Saturday morning. (AP)
The epicenter of Friday’s tremor was near the town of Ighil in Al Haouz Province, roughly 70 kilometers south of Marrakech. Al Haouz is known for scenic villages and valleys tucked in the High Atlas, and villages built into mountainsides. (Reuters)
Marrakech's famous Koutoubia Mosque, built in the 12th century, was damaged, but the extent was not immediately clear. (AP)
Moroccans also posted videos showing damage to parts of the famous red walls that surround the old city, a UNESCO World Heritage site. (AP)
Morocco’s King Mohammed VI has ordered the armed forces to mobilise air and land assets, specialized search and rescue teams and a surgical field hospital, according to a statement from the military. (AP)
The Moroccan military deployed aircraft, helicopters and drones and emergency services mobilized aid efforts to the hardest areas, but roads leading to the mountain region around the epicenter were jammed with vehicles and blocked with fallen rocks, slowing rescue efforts. (AP)
World leaders offered to send in aid or rescue crews as condolences poured in from countries around Europe, the Middle East and a G20 summit in India. (AP)
Earthquakes are relatively rare in North Africa. The earthquake in 1960 prompted changes in construction rules in Morocco, but many buildings, especially rural homes, are not built to withstand such tremors. (AP)
