Moroccan village smashed by earthquake
Reuters
Published Sep 09, 2023 01:50PM ET
Updated Sep 09, 2023 03:41PM ET
By Ahmed Eljechtimi and Abdulhak Balhak
ASNI, Morocco (Reuters) - Abdellatif Ait Bella lay on the ground in his Moroccan mountain village, barely able to move or speak, his head bandaged from wounds inflicted by falling debris during Friday's earthquake that destroyed his home and devastated his community.
His wife, Saida Bodchich, sat by him on Saturday along with his mother, as they prepared to spend a second night in the open air of the High Atlas (NYSE:ATCO) mountains, 20 km (12 miles) from Morocco's highest peak, Mount Toubkal.
"We have no house to take him to and have had no food since yesterday," said Bodchich, fearing for the future of their family of six with Ait Bella, the sole breadwinner through his work as a labourer, so badly injured.
Around them in the village of Tansghart in the Asni area, close to the 6.8 magnitude earthquake's remote epicentre, nearly all the buildings - traditional structures of mud brick, stone and rough wooden beams - had sustained damage from the quake.
The village, on the side of a valley where the road from Marrakech rises up into the High Atlas, was the worst hit of any Reuters journalists saw in rural areas south of Marrakech where officials said most of the more than 1,000 deaths had occurred.
Its once-pretty houses, clinging to a steep hillside, were cracked open by the shaking ground. Those still standing are missing chunks of wall or plaster. Two mosque minarets fell, along with many traditional houses.
"We want to live decently but we can rely on nobody but God," said Bodchich.
The village is already mourning ten deaths including two teenage girls, an inhabitant said, and others like Ait Bella are badly injured. Survivors face another tough night in the open.
Get The News You Want
Written By: Reuters
Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.