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An earthquake in Morocco left more than 2,800 people dead and the count is still growing.
An earthquake hit Morocco that had a magnitude of 6.8 on the earthquake scale on September 8th. The earthquake caused many old buildings to fall because they were not able to withstand the shaking.
The quake’s epicenter was in Marrakesh. “As of Sunday, the largest number of victims accounted for so far are in the Al Haouz province….Many of the areas affected by the quake are in remote mountain villages that are not easily accessed by emergency teams.” New York Times reported.
This massive earthquake is unusual for Morocco, according to Wendy Bohn, an earthquake geologist who told the Washington Post, “If you don’t have earthquakes a lot, you don’t build to withstand them.”
Morocco’s buildings were not built to withstand the damage the earthquake has caused. Bohn also said “Earthquakes don’t kill people. Buildings kill people.”
There were many people affected by the earthquake. Hicham Ahazar who saved himself and his sister told CNN, “I grabbed her and we ran outside. And as soon as we got outside, a whole wall collapsed.” He did this with an injured leg and didn’t notice it until he was outside.
CNN spoke to him while waiting for treatment. He told them he and his sister spent the last three nights sleeping outside because their home was no longer safe.
Aid has been sent from all around the world. CNN has reported that France gave 5.3 million to help the aid rescue efforts. The Spanish sent a search and rescue team. Turkey sent 265 personnel and 1,000 tents to support aid efforts. Britain has sent 60 search and rescue specialists, rescue equipment, and a medical team. Red Cross Society of China sent $200,000 to the Moroccan Red Crescent.
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