The number of people killed in Morocco’s earthquake has reached nearly 2497, and 2476 injured, according to Morocco’s government.
Search for survivors is ongoing as armed forces and international relief teams are pulling victims from under the rubble.
Mountain areas have been hit hard, with over 1452 killed in the city of Al Houze, the epicenter of the earthquake.
Many people are staying outside as they are left without homes, while others fear the Earthquake’s aftershocks.
The Missing King
King Mohamed VI’s belated reaction to the devastating earthquake has generated unrest. Many were wondering about his whereabouts when the earthquake hit the country.
The Monarch spends long periods of time outside the country. He didn’t show up until Saturday afternoon after a large part of the international community expressed their heartfelt condolence and support.
Media outlets say the king was in France. He arrived in early September for a medical check-up, said the Parisien-Aujourd’hui newspaper. He has previously gone through heart surgery in Paris.
The monarch spends most of his time outside Morocco (in France or Gabon). His trips are always shrouded in total secrecy.
But his long silence on the dramatic catastrophe the country is going through has caused a huge controversy and anger in Morocco and worldwide.
Rabat has not yet accepted aid from Paris. Nor from Algeria, which also offered to help and opened its air space to flights heading to Morocco.
While King Mohamed the VI is mad at Macron’s position vis-vis the Western Sahara issue, his diplomatic relations with neighboring Algeria have also been broken up since August 2021.
Only Spain, the United Kingdom, the Emirates, and Qatar were allowed in.
