Morocco earthquake: Eyewitnesses recount the horror and the tragedy

The devastating earthquake in Morocco, the strongest-ever for the north African country, has caused more than 2,000 deaths.While rescuers race against time to save those still trapped under the debris and international help trickles in, social media is full of videos of just how scary the actual moments were. The videos show collapsing buildings and people running helter-skelter. The common emotion is that of utter panic and fear.

Disturbing eyewitness testimonies are now emerging. Some people had a narrow escape, while others were not so lucky and lost loved ones.

The epicentre of the 6.8 magnitude earthquake was near the Moulay Brahim village in Morocco's Atlas mountains. The village has seen widespread destruction.

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"I've lost everything," says Lahcen (40) as he sits with his head bowed and body curled due to pain.

Rescuers were yet to recover bodies of his wife and son from what remained of their home on Saturday.

The bodies of his three daughters have been recovered from the debris.

"I can't do anything right now, I just want to get away from the world and mourn," he told AFP.

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Hasna, a woman in her forties, was lucky in a sense her family was spared. But the earthquake and the tragedies around have shaken her.

"It's a terrible tragedy. We're completely staggered by what has happened," she says as quoted by AFP.

"My family was spared, but the whole village is mourning its children. Many of my neighbours lost loved ones. The pain is indescribable,"

The village of Moulay Brahim is about 70 kilometres from Marrakesh, the popular tourist destination.

"I was nearly asleep when I heard the doors and the shutters banging," said Ghannou Najem, a Casablanca resident in her 80s who was visiting Marrakesh when the quake hit.

"I went outside in a panic. I thought I was going to die alone."

🏚️🌍 An entire village devastated by the #earthquake in Al Haouz. Residents and civil protection are discovering heartbreaking landscapes in the High Atlas. 💔😢 #MoroccoEarthquake #HighAtlas #Support #Morocco #marrakech pic.twitter.com/dv2bs6SWET — DailyDose (@DDose27191) September 9, 2023

Faisal Badour, an engineer and a resident of Marrakesh said he felt the eqrthquake three times in his building.

"There are families who are still sleeping outside because we were so scared of the force of this earthquake," he said. "The screaming and crying was unbearable."

Michael Bizet (43), a Frenchman, owns three traditional riad houses in old town of Marrakesh. He told AFP that he was in bed at the time of the earthquake.

"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," he said.

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Mimi Theobold, 25, a tourist from England, said she was with friends on a restaurant terrace when the tables began shaking and plates went flying.

Houda Outassaf told AFP that she was "still in shock" after the earthquake.

"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," she said.

(With inputs from agencies)

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