STORY: Morocco mourns quake victims as death toll climbs to over 2,000
DATELINE: Sept. 10, 2023
LENGTH: 00:02:40
LOCATION: Rabat
CATEGORY: SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of collapsed houses

STORYLINE:

Morocco on Saturday declared three days of national mourning after a devastating earthquake killed 2,012 people and injured 2,059 in the country.

The 6.8-magnitude earthquake hit Morocco Friday at 11:11 p.m. local time (2211 GMT) at a depth of 18.5 km, according to the United States Geological Survey. The epicenter of the earthquake was near the town of Ighil in Al Haouz Province, some 70 km southwest of Marrakesh, the fourth-largest city in the country and a popular tourist destination.

The Moroccan state TV said the majority of casualties in the earthquake were from the remote and inaccessible mountainous regions near the epicenter, with damaged roads further hindering rescue efforts.

The earthquake was felt in many cities across Morocco, including Rabat and Casablanca. Numerous houses collapsed in the cities of Taroudant and Marrakesh, local media reported.

The Red Cross Society of China (RCSC) announced on Saturday that it would provide the Moroccan Red Crescent with 200,000 U.S. dollars in cash as emergency humanitarian assistance to assist in its rescue operations.
  
Arab countries and organizations, including the Arab League (AL), Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Tunisia, Algeria, Lebanon and Libya, on Saturday sent condolences to Morocco over the devastating earthquake. 

Other countries that have offered condolences or assistance include Iran, Türkiye, Israel, France, Germany, the U.S., etc.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Rabat.
(XHTV)