Johannesburg - The Moroccan Monarch, His Majesty King Mohammed VI, has ordered a series of interventions aimed at bringing the effects of Friday’s earthquake under control.
According to the latest media reports, the death toll has exceeded the 2 900 mark, with more than 5 000 people reported to be injured, their homes damaged or destroyed by the 6.8-magnitude earthquake, which left historic buildings in ruins.
On Friday, King Mohammed VI, accompanied by Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan, chaired a working session dedicated to examining the situation in the wake of the earthquake, the strongest to hit Morocco in over a century.
During this working session, members of the government, the army, the fire department, and security clusters briefed King Mohammed on the latest developments in the affected prefectures and provinces, notably in some localities that were inaccessible in the evening and where relief intervention was not possible until sunrise.
It is reported that the king has refused aid from France but has accepted governmental aid from four other nations – Spain, Qatar, Britain and the United Arab Emirates.
During the working session, the officials present informed the king of the measures taken to address this catastrophe since the quake hit – the intervention of the Royal Armed Forces, local authorities, security services, and civil protection units, as well as the ministries concerned.
The immediate task has been reinforcing the country’s blood stocks, supplying drinking water to affected areas, distributing food kits, tents, and blankets to the affected population, and quickly resuming public services.
The king ordered the Royal Armed Forces to urgently deploy air and land resources, as well as specialised intervention based on search and rescue teams and a medical-surgical field hospital.
The king is also reported to have given instructions on continuing field relief efforts. This was followed by the government’s announcement of three days of national mourning.
These efforts include immediately setting up an inter-ministerial commission in charge of carrying out an emergency rehabilitation and aid programme to reconstruct as soon as possible the destroyed homes and provide care to people in distress, notably orphans and vulnerable people.
The king also gave instructions to the Minister of Endowments and Islamic Affairs to perform the Absent Prayer (Salat Al Ghaib) in all mosques throughout the kingdom for the repose of the victims’ souls, while also thanking countries that have expressed their solidarity with the Moroccan people.
According to Outlook India, US President Joe Biden has sent his respects to his Moroccan counterpart.
“We are working expeditiously to ensure American citizens in Morocco are safe and stand ready to provide any necessary assistance for the Moroccan people. The United States stands by Morocco and my friend King Mohammed VI at this difficult moment,” Biden said.
The Star