'I Thought, I'm Going to Die': 2,100 Dead, Hundreds of Thousands Displaced by Morocco Quake

Dale Hurd
09-09-2023

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Soldiers and international aid teams continue to search remote mountain towns hit hardest Friday by Morocco's strongest earthquake in more than a century.

More than 2,100 people are dead – a number that is expected to rise. The quake also injured thousands and displaced an estimated 300,000 people.

Rebecca Tremblay was visiting Morocco from Los Angeles and could feel the ground begin to shake. 
 
"That's when I realized, 'Oh, something's going wrong.' And all the walls literally felt like playdough, and the floor just felt as if it was melting underneath my knees," Tremblay said. "I thought, 'I'm going to die.'" 
 
The epicenter was high in the Atlas Mountains, just south of Marrakech.

The worst destruction was in rural communities on unpaved roads that snake up the mountainous terrain and are now blocked by fallen rocks. 

In a region where bricks are often made from mud, Friday's earthquake easily toppled buildings, trapping people inside and sending others fleeing in terror.

Rescuers trying to dig through the rubble to find any possible survivors have found some still alive.

In the village of Taroudant, residents comforted each other. One man said two of his daughters died when the ceiling collapsed on them as they slept. Another man lost his wife, daughter, parents and sister-in-law.

Thousands lined up to donate blood. Moroccan citizen Jalila Guerina said, "We saw on the news that they needed donations of blood and I didn't even think twice."

Families spent another night sleeping outside, too afraid to return to their damaged homes after as many as 17 aftershocks. Many are still waiting for food, water and electricity.

The Biden administration has reached out to the Moroccan government to help provide immediate assistance. Joe Biden said, "We're working expeditiously to ensure American citizens in Morocco are safe, standing ready to provide any necessary assistance to the Moroccan people as well." 

CBN's Operation Blessing is already on the ground working with a local pastor to help victims in rural areas. Today they're working to deliver tents to villages as well as solar lamps for people who are living outside after the quake. CLICK HERE for more about Operation Blessing in Morocco.
 

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About The Author

Dale
Hurd

Since joining CBN News, Dale has reported extensively from Western Europe, as well as China, Russia, and Central and South America. Dale also covered China's opening to capitalism in the early 1990s, as well as the Yugoslav Civil War. CBN News awarded him its Command Performance Award for his reporting from Moscow and Sarajevo. Since 9/11, Dale has reported extensively on various aspects of the global war on terror in the United States and Europe. Follow Dale on Twitter @dalehurd and "like" him at Facebook.com/DaleHurdNews.
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