On Friday, September 8th, at 6:11 PM, an earthquake struck Morocco grounds just southwest of Marrakech. The impact of the quake was felt far from where the epicenter was, going as far north as Casablanca.

According to Amarachi Orie and Rob Picheta at CNN “The quake is the strongest to hit the nation’s center in more than a century, and its epicenter was not far from popular tourist and economic hub Marrakech”( September 11th).

Emergency workers were deployed to the affected regions however some villages have been hard to reach due to their location. As of now rescue operations are still ongoing to reach difficult areas and to bring peace to the victims families.

World leaders have expressed their condolences to Morocco and have also offered a helping hand. 

According to CNN “France has activated emergency aid from local government funds to help with humanitarian operations in quake-affected regions, and will give 5 million euros ($5.3M) to non-governmental organizations operating in Morocco to aid rescue efforts, the government said Monday.” (Amarachi Orie and Rob Picheta September 11th)

The Spanish and British has sent rescue teams and dogs to Morocco to help with ongoing rescue aids. Turkey has also showed interest in helping with ongoing rescue aids, despite the effort of cleanup in their own hometown due to a devastating earthquake. Turkey offered 265 personnel along with 1,000 tents to Morocco.

As a precaution after many aftershocks that occurred. Residents are now sleeping in the streets of Marrakech away from buildings, until residents feel safe going back to their homes.