Morocco Earthquake: World Leaders Offer Support And Condolences

Western leaders have offered their condolences and their help to Morocco, AFP reports. The French president, Emmanuel Macron, says he is “devastated” by news of the quake, adding that “France stands ready to help with first aid”. 

The German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, says his country’s “thoughts are with the victims of this devastating earthquake. Our sympathy goes out to all those affected”. And the Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, says she “learned with grief of the tragic toll” from the quake and pointed to “Italy’s willingness to support Morocco in this emergency”.

The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, expresses sympathy “with the Moroccan people in the face of the terrible earthquake”, while the top EU diplomat, Joseph Borrell, says the bloc is ready to provide Morocco “the assistance it wishes”.

The Swiss president, Alain Berset, expresses his condolences, and the country’s foreign ministry says it has activated a crisis cell and is evaluating sending aid. The Belgian prime minister, Alexander De Croo, says his country stands by Morocco “in these difficult moments”.

The British foreign secretary, James Cleverly, has said the UK is supporting British nationals after the quake.

Devastating news of a substantial earthquake just outside Marrakesh, Morocco. The UK is continuing to support British nationals in the region. We stand ready to help our Moroccan friends in whatever way we can.

People in towns across Morocco have spent the night sitting outside their homes, a British journalist living in the country has said. Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Martin Jay has said:

"There were reports coming through on Moroccan media warning people not to go back into their homes.

This was a nationwide message that was put out by the authorities. So you have this weird evening of almost every single town in Morocco, most people are sitting on the ground outside of their houses or apartment blocks, because they were afraid of the second earthquake which they predicted would come two hours later.

Thank God it didn’t".

Witnesses have described how the quake hit three times. Faisal Baddour, an engineer, told the French press agency Agence France-Presse:

"There are families who are still sleeping outside because we were so scared of the force of this earthquake. It was as if a train was passing close to our houses".

Frenchman Michael Bizet, who owns three traditional riad houses in Marrakech’s old town, told the agency he was in bed when the quake struck.

"I thought my bed was going to fly away. I went out into the street half-naked and immediately went to see my riads. It was total chaos, a real catastrophe, madness".

Bizet shared video of piles of rubble from collapsed walls in the streets.

Other footage on social media showed part of a minaret collapsed on Djemaa el-Fna square in the historic city. An AFP correspondent saw hundreds of people flocking to the square to spend the night for fear of aftershocks, some with blankets while others slept on the ground.

Houda Outassaf, a local resident, said he was walking around the square when the ground began to shake.

"It was a truly staggering sensation. We’re safe and sound, but I’m still in shock. I have at least 10 members of my family who died... I can hardly believe it, as I was with them no more than two days ago".

In Essaouira, 120 miles (200km) west of Marrakesh, a resident told AFP:

"We heard screams at the time of the tremor. People are in the squares, in the cafes, preferring to sleep outside. Pieces of facades have fallen".

Meanwhile, the Spanish foreign minister, José Manuel Albares, has said:

"Our thoughts are with the victims and next of kin of this horrible earthquake. All our solidarity with Morocco and its people".