The earthquake in Morocco

Residents of Marrakech after the earthquake. FADEL SENNA / AFP 

The earthquake in Morocco 

The death toll rises: Over 1,300 dead in the earthquake  

At least 1,305 people have been confirmed dead after the strong earthquake in Morocco, state television reports on Saturday evening according to Sky News. At least 1,832 have been injured.  

The earthquake had a magnitude of 6.8 and occurred in the Atlas Mountains, seven kilometers outside the metropolis of Marrakech, late on Friday evening. 

It is said to be the strongest in the country in 120 years.  

Most of the deaths occurred in hard-to-reach mountain areas. 

 

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Moroccans in droves. Mosa'ab Elshamy / AP  

National mourning declared - but no yes to foreign aid 

Morocco declares three days of national mourning after the devastating earthquake that killed more than 1,000 people, the royal house says according to Reuters.  

The situation in the country is catastrophic, and a long list of countries have offered assistance. Despite this, the government - more than a day and a half after the earthquake - has not given the green light to foreign aid, reports the Washington Post.  

According to Caroline Holt, disaster director at the International Federation of Red Cross and Crescent (IFRC), international solidarity is important.  

- We know that protection in the form of tents will definitely be required at an early stage. Food and clean water will also be indispensable in order not to risk a disaster in the disaster, she tells CNN.  

According to Hossam El-Sharkawi, the IFRC's regional director, the rescue operation could take "many months, if not years". 

Villagers in Moulay Brahim. Mosa'ab Elshamy / AP 

Villagers: "Please save us - the suffering is enormous" 

Remote and hard-to-reach communities in the Atlas Mountains south of Marrakech, near the earthquake's epicenter, are believed to have been hardest hit by the devastating quake.  

Ayoub Toudite, a resident of the mountain village of Moulay Brahim, tells Sky News that buildings have collapsed on people and that residents are "suffering enormously".  

- We are in desperate need of ambulances. It's an emergency. Please save us.  

Rashid Ben Arabi in the town of Amizmiz testifies to how screaming people were hysterically searching for their family members.  

- I saw a man by the remains of his house, he heard his children screaming during the riots but could not help them because the emergency services did not arrive.  

So far, 1,037 people have been confirmed dead. Many more are injured – according to the Ministry of the Interior, 721 people are in a life-threatening condition, writes CNN.