Morocco earthquake death toll passes 2,800, survivors camp outdoors
Morocco devastated by the country's biggest earthquake in over a century camped outside for a fourth night on Monday, as the death toll rose to more than 2,800 people.
Search teams from Spain, Britain and Qatar joined Moroccan efforts to find survivors from the 6.8 magnitude quake that struck in the High Atlas Mountains late on Friday, flattening the traditional mud brick houses ubiquitous in the region.
State TV reported late on Monday that the death toll had risen to 2,862, with 2,562 people injured. With much of the quake zone in hard-to-reach areas, authorities have not issued any estimates for the number of missing.
In the village of Tinmel, almost every house was pulverised and the entire community has been left homeless.
The stench of death from dozens of animals buried under the rubble wafts through parts of the village.
Mouhamad Elhasan, 59, said he had been eating dinner with his family when the earthquake struck. His 31-year-old son fled outside and was hit as their neighbour's roof collapsed, trapping him under the rubble.
Elhasan said he searched for his son as he cried for help.
But eventually the cries stopped, and by the time he reached his son he was dead. Elhasan and his wife and daughter remained inside their home and survived.
«If he had stayed inside the house he would have been ok,» Elhasan said.
In Tinmel and in other villages residents said they had pulled people out of the rubble with their bare hands.
In Tikekhte, where few buildings have been left standing, 66-year-old Mohamed Ouchen described how residents rescued 25 people — one of whom was his sister.
«We were busy rescuing.
Because we didn't have tools, we used our hands,» he said. «Her head was visible and we kept digging by hand.»
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