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Hopes of finding more survivors buried under buildings faded on Tuesday after a powerful earthquake struck Morocco on Friday, killing at least 2,800 people and destroying more than 31,000 homes.
Friday night’s earthquake devastated villages in the High Atlas Mountains south of Marrakech, and the government said it would provide funds to families to rebuild their destroyed homes, often built with mud bricks that cannot withstand earthquakes. of.
Prime Minister Aziz al-Hanush said in a speech late Monday that the top priority remained rescuing more people from the rubble of their homes and providing food and other support to families affected by the 6.8-magnitude quake.
But Akhanoush said the state would begin assessing the number of homes that needed to be rebuilt and begin repairing roads and removing debris and rockfall caused by the earthquake.
His comments came after some villagers complained about a lack of aid and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) warned that damage caused by the earthquake could trigger a “second wave of disasters”.
Akannush said the government would announce details as early as this week on “rebuilding and building everything that was damaged by the earthquake.”
Hundreds of damaged schools will be rebuilt and state services such as sanitation services and water supply will begin to be restored, he said, adding: “There will be financial support for citizens to rebuild.”
Interior Minister Abdelouafi Laftit said 31,000 homes had been destroyed and the number was likely to rise.
Government teams were working Tuesday to restore power and cell phone signals, while others were distributing tents to people who had lost their homes or feared their cracked houses would collapse.
The IFRC launched an emergency appeal to raise 100 million Swiss francs ($112 million) to support victims, aiming to meet the most urgent needs such as water, sanitation and shelter.
Caroline Holt, director of global operations for the Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent, said: “We need to ensure that we avoid a second wave of disasters… As with many earthquakes, the emergency response this time was a marathon . People affected by the earthquake will need support in the coming weeks and months.”
The earthquake’s epicenter was located in the Atlas Mountains, 72 kilometers southwest of Marrakech, Morocco’s most popular tourist destination. The city suffered some damage, but the worst damage occurred in hard-to-reach mountain villages.
In Marrakech, some buildings in the UNESCO World Heritage Old Town collapsed and cracks appeared in part of the medieval wall surrounding the city. But on Tuesday, tourists could be seen on the streets and restaurants were open.
A person close to the Moroccan government said Morocco is keen that the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank in Marrakesh in October can go ahead as scheduled.
“The IMF/World Bank don’t want to abandon a struggling country. This would be a show of solidarity,” the person said.
“Our only focus at this time is with the people of Morocco and the authorities who are dealing with this tragedy,” the IMF said.
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