Rescuers use a metal bar and a wooden beam to search for a victim amid the rubble of a destroyed house in the earthquake- hit village of Imi N'Tala near Amizmiz on September 13, 2023. Rescue teams stepped up on September 13 a massive effort in devastated Moroccan mountain villages as chances fade for finding survivors from last week's earthquake which killed 2,900 people and left many homeless. (Photo by FADEL SENNA / AFP)
Rescuers use a metal bar and a wooden beam to search for a victim amid the rubble of a destroyed house in the earthquake- hit village of Imi N'Tala near Amizmiz on September 13, 2023. Rescue teams stepped up on September 13 a massive effort in devastated Moroccan mountain villages as chances fade for finding survivors from last week's earthquake which killed 2,900 people and left many homeless. (Photo by FADEL SENNA / AFP)
Rescuers use a metal bar and a wooden beam to search for a victim amid the rubble of a destroyed house in the earthquake- hit village of Imi N'Tala near Amizmiz on September 13, 2023. Rescue teams stepped up on September 13 a massive effort in devastated Moroccan mountain villages as chances fade for finding survivors from last week's earthquake which killed 2,900 people and left many homeless. (Photo by FADEL SENNA / AFP)
Rescuers use a metal bar and a wooden beam to search for a victim amid the rubble of a destroyed house in the earthquake- hit village of Imi N'Tala near Amizmiz on September 13, 2023. Rescue teams ste

Moroccan rescue teams work around the clock in hope of finding earthquake survivors


  • English
  • Arabic

Moroccan rescuers are working around the clock in the hope of finding survivors underneath the rubble after an aftershock late on Wednesday.

More than 2,900 people have been killed by the quake that has also left tens of thousands homeless.

Emergency crews from the UAE, Spain, the UK and Qatar were allowed into the country and have joined forces with local workers to dig through rubble for bodies still buried in devastated communities in the Atlas Mountains and other hard-hit areas.

The German Red Cross (DRK) on Thursday said it had been forced to cancel a plan to deliver aid to the country.

"For reasons beyond our control ... new rules and regulations announced at short notice have made it impossible for the plane to take off today," the DRK said, without giving further details.

"We deeply regret these developments because the people on the ground urgently need help."

The government said it is facing difficulties in delivering aid where it is most needed, because the areas where the earthquake caused the worst damage were in hard-to-reach mountainous regions.

This has left many waiting for days for official government help to arrive, as roads have been blocked and access is limited.

“The mountain was split in half and started falling. Houses were fully destroyed,” a resident, Ait Ougadir Al Houcine, told the Associated Press on Tuesday as crews worked to recover bodies, including his sister's.

“Some people lost all their cattle. We have nothing but the clothes we’re wearing. Everything is gone."

People have been depending on relief arranged and delivered privately by small groups of volunteers from across the country.

  • Rescue workers carry a body from the rubble of a house in Imi N'Tala village near Amizmiz. AFP
    Rescue workers carry a body from the rubble of a house in Imi N'Tala village near Amizmiz. AFP
  • Rescuers and villagers sift through the rubble of a destroyed building in a village near Amizmiz. AFP
    Rescuers and villagers sift through the rubble of a destroyed building in a village near Amizmiz. AFP
  • Residents load a van after a fundraising campaign and collection of aid supplies for earthquake victims in The Netherlands. EPA
    Residents load a van after a fundraising campaign and collection of aid supplies for earthquake victims in The Netherlands. EPA
  • Survivors sit on rocks on the side of a hill. AFP
    Survivors sit on rocks on the side of a hill. AFP
  • Residents load a donkey with blankets. AFP
    Residents load a donkey with blankets. AFP
  • Earthquake survivors embrace each other. AFP
    Earthquake survivors embrace each other. AFP
  • A displaced earthquake survivor stands next to a sheep provided to her by volunteers. AFP
    A displaced earthquake survivor stands next to a sheep provided to her by volunteers. AFP
  • Residents share a meal of lentils in their tent. AFP
    Residents share a meal of lentils in their tent. AFP
  • Survivors wait for assistance from volunteers. AFP
    Survivors wait for assistance from volunteers. AFP
  • A man passes along a road in Tnirte. Getty Images
    A man passes along a road in Tnirte. Getty Images
  • A man pauses next to the rubble of collapsed houses. Getty Images
    A man pauses next to the rubble of collapsed houses. Getty Images
  • Food aid is distributed in Ardouz. Getty Images
    Food aid is distributed in Ardouz. Getty Images
  • A boy rides a pony past the rubble of a collapsed building in Tnirte. Getty Images
    A boy rides a pony past the rubble of a collapsed building in Tnirte. Getty Images
  • Large cracks in the wall of a school in Ardouz. Getty Images
    Large cracks in the wall of a school in Ardouz. Getty Images
  • A young earthquake survivor leans on a cement beam amid the rubble of a destroyed building in a village near Amizmiz. AFP
    A young earthquake survivor leans on a cement beam amid the rubble of a destroyed building in a village near Amizmiz. AFP
  • Rescuers work tirelessly to locate survivors and victims amid the rubble in the village of Imi N'Tala near Amizmiz. AFP
    Rescuers work tirelessly to locate survivors and victims amid the rubble in the village of Imi N'Tala near Amizmiz. AFP

Morocco has allowed a limited amount of earthquake aid into the country, saying this is due to lack of management.

The government has only allowed response crews from four country countries and some non-governmental organisations.

Camera crews from France, Spain and Qatar's Al Jazeera television set up operations near where Moroccan emergency responders – along with crews from Qatar, Spain and international NGOs – used jackhammers to break up rocks as they sought to recover a woman's body from under a crumbling house that looked like it could fall at any moment.

She probably died because – unlike the buildings that fell in Turkey and Syria's earthquake earlier this year – the mud bricks used to build homes in Imi N'Tala left little space for air that trapped people would need to survive, Patrick Villadry of the French rescue crew, Ulis, told AP.

“When we dig, we look for someone alive. From there, we don’t ask ourselves questions. If they’re alive, great. If they’re dead, it’s a shame,” he said, noting that recovering the dead was important for Moroccan families.

Mr Villadry's five-person, four-dog crew from Nice was among the few French NGOs to have made it to the disaster site. It arrived on Saturday, he said.

Although the government has warned that poorly co-ordinated aid “would be counterproductive”, the response has prompted scepticism among some Moroccans, including Brahim Ait Blasri, who watched the recovery attempts in Imi N'Tala.

“It's not true. It's politics,” he said, referring to Morocco's decision not to accept aid from countries such as the US and France. “We have to set aside our pride. This is too much.”

Find the right policy for you

Don’t wait until the week you fly to sign up for insurance – get it when you book your trip. Insurance covers you for cancellation and anything else that can go wrong before you leave.

Some insurers, such as World Nomads, allow you to book once you are travelling – but, as Mr Mohammed found out, pre-existing medical conditions are not covered.

Check your credit card before booking insurance to see if you have any travel insurance as a benefit – most UAE banks, such as Emirates NBD, First Abu Dhabi Bank and Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, have cards that throw in insurance as part of their package. But read the fine print – they may only cover emergencies while you’re travelling, not cancellation before a trip.

Pre-existing medical conditions such as a heart condition, diabetes, epilepsy and even asthma may not be included as standard. Again, check the terms, exclusions and limitations of any insurance carefully.

If you want trip cancellation or curtailment, baggage loss or delay covered, you may need a higher-grade plan, says Ambareen Musa of Souqalmal.com. Decide how much coverage you need for emergency medical expenses or personal liability. Premium insurance packages give up to $1 million (Dh3.7m) in each category, Ms Musa adds.

Don’t wait for days to call your insurer if you need to make a claim. You may be required to notify them within 72 hours. Gather together all receipts, emails and reports to prove that you paid for something, that you didn’t use it and that you did not get reimbursed.

Finally, consider optional extras you may need, says Sarah Pickford of Travel Counsellors, such as a winter sports holiday. Also ensure all individuals can travel independently on that cover, she adds. And remember: “Cheap isn’t necessarily best.”

Uefa Nations League: How it Works

The Uefa Nations League, introduced last year, has reached its final stage, to be played over five days in northern Portugal. The format of its closing tournament is compact, spread over two semi-finals, with the first, Portugal versus Switzerland in Porto on Wednesday evening, and the second, England against the Netherlands, in Guimaraes, on Thursday.

The winners of each semi will then meet at Porto’s Dragao stadium on Sunday, with the losing semi-finalists contesting a third-place play-off in Guimaraes earlier that day.

Qualifying for the final stage was via League A of the inaugural Nations League, in which the top 12 European countries according to Uefa's co-efficient seeding system were divided into four groups, the teams playing each other twice between September and November. Portugal, who finished above Italy and Poland, successfully bid to host the finals.

End of free parking

- paid-for parking will be rolled across Abu Dhabi island on August 18

- drivers will have three working weeks leeway before fines are issued

- areas that are currently free to park - around Sheikh Zayed Bridge, Maqta Bridge, Mussaffah Bridge and the Corniche - will now require a ticket

- villa residents will need a permit to park outside their home. One vehicle is Dh800 and a second is Dh1,200. 

- The penalty for failing to pay for a ticket after 10 minutes will be Dh200

- Parking on a patch of sand will incur a fine of Dh300

MATCH INFO

Everton 0

Manchester City 2 (Laporte 45 2', Jesus 90 7')

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Avatar: Fire and Ash

Director: James Cameron

Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana

Rating: 4.5/5

England's all-time record goalscorers:
Wayne Rooney 53
Bobby Charlton 49
Gary Lineker 48
Jimmy Greaves 44
Michael Owen 40
Tom Finney 30
Nat Lofthouse 30
Alan Shearer 30
Viv Woodward 29
Frank Lampard 29

The specs
  • Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
  • On sale: 2026
  • Price: Not announced yet

White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogenChromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxideUltramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica contentOphiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on landOlivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour

Updated: September 14, 2023, 11:35 AM