Rabat, Morocco

Morocco is in a race against time to save its citizens trapped under the rubble that became of the building which collapsed after Friday's devastating earthquake. The emergency services have been battling to ensure disaster relief response in remote areas as connectivity became difficult due to roads blocked by the rubble of fallen buildings and rocks in the mountainous areas.

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The death toll has risen to 2,862, according to the latest casualty count published by the Moroccan Interior Ministry.

Reports said that villagers have been digging through the rubble by shovel and hand. The emergency responders have been reportedly struggling to bring in machinery in the remote mountainous areas. 

Also read | Morocco earthquake: More than 2,000 killed in deadliest seismic disaster in a century

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People "have nothing left," a villager from a village in the south of Marrakesh was quoted as saying by the BBC. 

"People are starving. Children want water. They need help."

A CNN report cited an account of residents pulling six people alive out of the rubble of a hotel in Sami Sensis village in the Moroccan Atlas Mountains, reflecting the race against time the locals are faced with following the disaster due to difficulties confronting the emergency responders to access the area. 

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Also watch | Gravitas: Morocco Rocked By Rare, Powerful Earthquake

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The earthquake of 6.8 magnitude is the country's deadliest in over a century. 

According to the latest count, more than 2,000 people have died and thousands are critically injured.

Morocco's King Mohammed VI declared three days of national mourning on Saturday, as the scale of the devastation became clearer.

Morocco earthquake: Challenges faced by emergency responders

The roads in the High Atlas mountains were already poorly maintained and the fallen rocks that fell on the roads have totally blocked the connectivity to the region.

International efforts to aid Morocco earthquake response

Meanwhile, international efforts to aid the recovery have started to increase in pace.

The United Kingdom will deploy emergency response teams, including rescue specialists, a medical team, search dogs and equipment.

Spain and Qatar too would send search and rescue teams.

The complex geopolitics in the region has also unravelled itself in the face of a humanitarian crisis. Algeria, which broke all diplomatic ties with Morocco in 2021, opened up its airspace for humanitarian aid going to and from Morocco.

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