The number of victims of the earthquake in Morocco reaches almost 3,000
The death toll after the earthquake most deadly in the modern history of Morocco rose this Monday (11). 2,862. Special envoys Bianca Rothier and Felipe Byington show how the region’s iconic buildings exacerbated the earthquake’s effects.
The team left Marrakesh early in the morning to head to the most affected areas. That is fate Friendshipvery close to the epicenter of Friday’s (8) earthquake, at the foot of the Atlas the mountain range that separates the Mediterranean and the Atlantic from the Sahara.
Correspondent Bianca Rothier says she found out or did that a Brazilian woman lives in Amizmiz. The team went there to try to talk to her. Along the way, the scenes grab your attention. A great example of solidarity: a group of about ten motorcycles. The staff carried very simple tools to aid in the search.
Suddenly a sign of hope. The Spanish soldier scratches a Portuguese and shows motivation. The team has sniffer dogs, modern equipment and a lot of experience.
Bianca Rothier: “How long can we hope?”
Spanish military: “I’m not afraid of a time limit. We must know that the search is continuous because we must never lose hope.”
Then the first camps with people who cannot return home. Maruá, 13 years old, said that her father saved her and her mother saved her brother.
“I am shocked and scared because there are still many replicas,” says Maruá.
The government does not know how many people are currently living in such conditions. A World Health Organization appreciates that 300,000 Moroccans were affected by the earthquake.
A long line to pick up donations. For those who don’t have a place to sleep, mattresses make nights less uncomfortable.
The people come from Amizmiz, the team’s destination National newspaper. Amizmiz was nearby 20,000 inhabitants. Now it is practically a city in ruins. All houses show at least traces of the earthquake. Much of it was completely destroyed.
Everything is so unstable that the authorities have forbidden residents to stay at home. He only authorized short visits to pick up important belongings. And in this scenario we managed to find the Brazilian.
Michele Teixeira is married to Jamel Ait Lachegar, born and raised in Amizmiz. He moved there 20 years ago to work as a tour guide in a place previously known only for its natural beauty and culture.
“There are many villages, towns and cities that still maintain their traditions. So many houses are still made of clay. That’s why this great destruction,” says Michele Teixeira, tour guide.
1 of 1 The couple’s house is in danger of collapsing Photo: Reproduction/TV Globo The couple’s house is in danger of collapsing Photo: Reproduction/TV Globo
For the couple, walking the old route home became synonymous with pain. Neighbors died buried.
“People I knew and saw every day. Is very sad. To people who have children, we say, “Thank God we managed to have one.” But what about other people? “complains Michele.
The team passed dozens of destroyed buildings. In Amizmiz, the houses that did not collapse at least have cracks, severe cracks. Many could still collapse, as is the case with Michele and Jamel’s house. For security reasons we were not able to enter. But Michele took pictures after the earthquake.
“The earthquake didn’t just shake. It took a leap and then went forward, forward and backward,” says the Brazilian.
The children are traumatized.
“The 11yearold is mentally shaken. He sees the glass of water shaking on the table, he screams: “It’s happening again, it’s happening again.” When he falls asleep, he wakes up in fear: “Where is my father, where is my mother?” “They are completely shocked,” says Michele.
What do you think it will be like from now on?
“It will be very difficult for people to return to their normal lives, plan and think. There is no thought about the future,” says Jamel Ait Lachegar.
“Every detail here was placed, had a price, had a feeling and was finished. Now we have to look forward and do it again. And have the hope, the faith that it will be better than it was,” says Michele.