Chaos in Morocco: Death toll from powerful earthquake rises to more than 2,000

In the last hours, more than 2 thousand people died due to the earthquake that wreaked chaos on Friday night and the horror in Morocco.

Thousands of people slept on the streets for the second consecutive night for fear that their homes would not hold up and would collapse.

According to the latest balance sheet from the Ministry of the Interior of that country, At least 2,012 people have died and another 2,059 are injured, of which 1,404 are in very serious condition.

However, authorities warn that that number will increase as the search progresses.

The majority of those killed by the Moroccan earthquake are concentrated in the province of Al Haouz, with 542 victims, while the second most affected is Taroudant, with 321 deaths.

Behind them are Chichaua, with 103 deaths; Ouarzazate, with 38; Marrakech, with 13; Azilal, with 11; Agadir, with 5, and Casablanca, where there are currently three deaths, to which is added one death registered in Yusufiya.

The Moroccan earthquake - magnitude 6.8 according to the US Geological Services and 7 according to the Moroccan Center for Scientific and Technical Research - is the most powerful recorded in the country in the last six decades.

King Mohammed VI chaired an emergency meeting at the Royal Palace in Rabat to review the situation and has declared three days of official mourning for the victims.

Meanwhile, the workers of the rescue teams and the Moroccan Armed Forces The search for survivors continues this Sunday among the rubble of collapsed buildings and ask for international help to address the situation.

The epicenter of the earthquake was located in the village of Iguil - about 63 kilometers southwest of Marrakech - in the province of Al Haouz.

Emergency service workers face the challenge of reaching the most affected areas in the Atlas Mountains, a mountain range where there are towns with difficult access and where many houses have collapsed.

According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), there are more than 300 thousand people affected.

“The next 24 hours are going to be critical in order to save lives”Caroline Holt, global director of operations for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said in a statement.

The acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation of Spain, José Manuel Albares, stated this Sunday that the number of Spanish citizens killed or injured in the earthquake remains unknown.

Leaders from around the world expressed their dismay this Saturday and extended their hand to the Government of Morocco after the earthquake.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was one of the first to show his solidarity and announce the sending of aid. Other presidents, from Biden to Putin, including Zelensky and Macron, reacted with expressions of condolences to the tragedy.

Their offers of help have been added to the expressions of solidarity and condolence from world leaders, but without specifying at the moment what they will be, since for that the Government of Morocco has to officially ask for help.

Joe Biden, who is participating like many other international leaders this weekend at the G-20 summit, expressed "his deep sadness at the loss of life and devastation caused by the earthquake." The US president noted that they were "prepared to provide the necessary aid to the Moroccan people."