People carry supplies on their backs as roads are cut in Missirat village in the Taroudant province, one of the most devastated in quake-hit Morocco, on September 11, 2023. (Credit: Fethi Belaid/AFP)
BEIRUT — Lebanese in Morocco are “standing in solidarity with their Moroccan brothers and sisters,” after a 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck the North African country Friday, said Lebanese Ambassador to Morocco, Ziad Atallah to L’Orient Today Monday.
The earthquake struck 72 kilometers southwest of the city of Marrakesh, leveling swaths of villages.
“No deaths or injuries have been recorded on the side of the Lebanese, however some have reported to the embassy that their houses have been partially damaged,” Atallah said.
According to the latest toll, the quake killed at least 2,700 people and injured over 2,500.
The Red Cross stated it could take years to repair the damage.
A man reacts as he walks on rubble in Imoulas, a village in the Taroudant province, one of the most devastated in quake-hit Morocco, September 11, 2023. (Credit: Fethi Belaid/AFP)
“It won’t be a matter of a week or two... We are counting on a response that will take months, if not years,” stated Hossam Elsharkawi, the Red Cross' Middle East and North Africa director.
Tafeghaghte, a village 60 kilometers southwest of Marrakesh and only 50 kilometers away from the quake's epicenter, was almost entirely destroyed, AFP reported.
Lebanese stand in ‘solidarity’
On Tuesday, the Lebanese embassy in Rabat will hold a blood drive for victims. Via diaspora Whatsapp and Facebook groups, it has called on Lebanese residing across Morocco to “stand up in solidarity with the people of Morocco who stood beside them during the Beirut port blast on Aug. 4 2020,” Atallah noted.
The Aug. 4 Beirut port explosion, caused by the detonation of large quantities of ammonium nitrate haphazardly stored in a warehouse at the port, killed at least 235 people, injured 6,500, and devastated the capital.
“After the blast, His Majesty, Mohammed VI, sent 22 military planes equipped with medical aid, along with doctors to help the injured. A field hospital was also set up by the King in Lebanon that tended to over 55,000 injured people,” recounted Atallah.
In solidarity with the victims of the disaster, the embassy's Lebanese flag has been lowered in mourning.
Atallah said the solidarity he's been witnessing between Moroccans themselves is heart-warming.
A man transports supplies with a donkey to the destroyed village of Imoulas, in the Taroudant province, September 11, 2023. (Credit: Fethi Belaid/AFP)
“In every street you can see trucks parked in front of houses where people are giving anything they can give from their own homes. Some are giving food parcels and food products, while others are giving away blankets,” Atallah said.
“The King has also announced that a bank account has been set up to help the victims of the earthquake, so Moroccans from inside the country and abroad can transfer monetary donations,” he continued.
The Friday earthquake is the deadliest Morocco has experienced since the 1960 quake that destroyed Agadir, killing 12,000 people, about a third of the city’s population at the time.
In February, a 6.4-magnitude earthquake, felt in Lebanon, rocked southern Turkey and northern Syria, killing over 50,000 people.