Villagers cried in the debris of their houses on Monday, as the death toll from Morocco’s worst earthquake in more than six decades climbed to over 2,700 and rescuers raced against the clock to find survivors.
Search and rescue teams from Spain, the United Kingdom, and Qatar have joined Moroccan rescue operations after a 6.8 magnitude earthquake slammed the High Atlas Mountains late Friday, with the epicentre 72 kilometers (45 miles) southwest of Marrakech.
According to the state news agency, the dead toll has increased to 2,681, with 2,501 people wounded. The traditional mud brick buildings that were common in the area, according to rescuers, limited the odds of locating survivors because they had disintegrated.
Morocco has received help from Spain and the United Kingdom, who have deployed search-and-rescue teams with sniffer dogs, as well as the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, which stated on Sunday that a search-and-rescue team was on its way.
The European Union announced an initial 1 million euro ($1.07 million) grant to Moroccan non-governmental organizations.
According to state television, the government examined requirements and weighed the necessity of coordinating relief operations before accepting assistance, and it may accept assistance from other nations in the future.
Both France and Germany downplayed the significance of Morocco’s failure to accept their aid offers, claiming that it was not political.