Earthquake in Morocco: Preliminary death toll exceeds 1,300

A powerful earthquake shook the Kingdom of Morocco on Friday night, with tragic consequences. Follow the latest news on this disaster.

The 27 EU countries express their sadness and solidarity On Saturday evening, the leaders of the 27 member countries of the European Union jointly signed a letter addressed to the King of Morocco, Mohammed VI, in which they expressed their "full solidarity" with the Moroccan people following the devastating earthquake that has plunged the country into mourning.

They wrote in this letter, which was joined by the heads of the EU institutions, Charles Michel (European Council) and Ursula von der Leyen (Commission): "As close friends and partners of Morocco, we are ready to help you in any way you see fit." Their condolences and sadness at the devastating consequences of this tragic event were also expressed in this message, which was made public by Charles Michel.

Preliminary death toll exceeds 1,300

The provisional death toll from the violent earthquake that struck Morocco on Friday night has risen to 1305, according to the Ministry of the Interior.

By 7pm (18:00 GMT), the tremor had also injured 1,832 people, 1,220 of whom were in a serious condition, the ministry said in a statement. The previous death toll was 1,037. In response to this tragedy, the kingdom declared a three-day national mourning period.

Three days' national mourning in Morocco Following the violent earthquake that killed more than 1,000 people in the country on Friday night, Morocco has declared three days' national mourning, the Royal Cabinet has announced.

A statement from the royal palace, published by the official MAP agency, said that flags would be flown at half-mast on all public buildings during this period of mourning.

The earthquake, whose epicentre was in the province of Al-Haouz, south-west of the tourist city of Marrakech, killed 1,037 people and injured 1,204, 721 of whom are in a critical condition, according to the latest provisional figures from the Ministry of the Interior.

At the meeting chaired by King Mohammed VI, officials presented the latest developments in the affected prefectures and provinces, particularly in certain localities that were inaccessible during the night. Emergency services were only able to intervene when daylight broke.

Mohammed VI has given instructions for relief operations on the ground to continue rapidly. He has also ordered the immediate creation of an inter-ministerial commission to set up an emergency programme to rehabilitate and help rebuild homes destroyed in the disaster areas. This commission will also take care of people in distress, in particular orphans and vulnerable people.

A special account will be opened with the Treasury and the Central Bank, Bank Al Maghrib, to receive voluntary solidarity contributions from citizens and private and public bodies.

Call for donations

Actor and comedian Gad Elmaleh launched an appeal on Saturday for donations to help Moroccans in distress following the violent earthquake that killed more than 1,000 people. He suggested organising a gala or a TV show to raise funds.

"Today, I encourage people who are perplexed, those who cry in front of their television without knowing what to do, I tell them that every penny counts", said Casablanca-born Gad Elmaleh on BFMTV. He joined the Secours Populaire appeal for donations.

The comedian stressed the need to help survivors rebuild their lives. He also said that he was talking to other artists about organising a gala or a show to raise as much money as possible.

Opening up Algerian airspace

Algeria announced on Saturday that it would open its airspace, closed since September 2021, to flights carrying humanitarian aid and people injured in the earthquake in Morocco.

In a press release, the Algerian presidency stated that "the high Algerian authorities have decided to open the airspace to flights for the transport of humanitarian aid and the injured" in response to the "violent earthquake" that struck Morocco. Algeria closed its airspace to all Moroccan civilian and military aircraft in September 2021, following the severing of diplomatic relations with Morocco at a time of serious diplomatic crisis between the two Maghreb rivals.

The Algerian authorities also expressed their readiness to provide humanitarian aid and to mobilise all material and human resources in solidarity with the Moroccan people, should the Kingdom of Morocco so request. In an earlier press release, the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs offered its condolences to the Moroccan people for the victims of the earthquake.