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🔴 Live: Moroccans spend second night sleeping outside after earthquake kills more than 2,000
Many Moroccan families spent a second night sleeping outdoors overnight to Sunday after the deadliest earthquake in more than half a century killed more than 2,000 people and injured at least as many. The quake damaged thousands of homes, and there are fears of an aftershock. Read our live blog for all the latest developments. All times are Paris time (GMT+2).
Issued on: 10/09/2023 – 07:06
Modified: 10/09/2023 – 08:55
1 min
People play soccer next to a woman resting on the sidewalk in Marrakesh, following the powerful earthquake in Morocco, on September 9, 2023.
People play soccer next to a woman resting on the sidewalk in Marrakesh, following the powerful earthquake in Morocco, on September 9, 2023. REUTERS – HANNAH MCKAY
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FRANCE 24
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8:52am: Piles of rubble, tourists desperate to leave and locals sleeping it rough
Marrakesh’s old medina has partly been transformed into a large pile of rubble after Friday’s massive earthquake caused walls and roofs of the city’s historic buildings to cave in, FRANCE 24’s Luke Shrago reports, adding that most tourists have cut their holidays short and are flocking to the airport to leave Morocco as soon as possible.
“There are dozens and dozens and dozens of tourists who are camped out (at the airport). They’re trying to get out. Very few are willing to stay,” he said.
He also said Marrakesh’s main square, the Jeema el-Fnaa, is filled with hundreds of locals sleeping it rough for fear of returning to their homes.
“There’s a great sense of fear in terms of aftershocks,” he said.
Watch his full report in the video below:
02:33
6:45am: Many families spend second night outdoors for fear of aftershock
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Many families huddled into the early hours of Sunday, spending a second night on the streets as Morocco’s deadliest earthquake in more than half a century left many fearing their homes were no longer safe to return to.
Uncertainty gripped many in Marrakech, some 70 kilometres northeast of the epicentre, as they worried the quake may have damaged their homes or that an aftershock could destroy them in the coming hours or days.
00:05am: quake death toll rises to 2,012 and 2,059 injured – state TV
The death toll from the Moroccan earthquake rose to 2,012 people, Moroccan state TV said early on Sunday, citing a statement from the interior ministry.
The number of injured rose to 2,059, including 1,404 people who are in a critical condition, it added.
(FRANCE 24 with AP, AFP, Reuters)
