Morocco Earthquake

A powerful 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck Morocco late on Friday 8th September, 70km south of Marrakesh. It’s the strongest recorded in the region and was felt as far as Portugal and Algeria.

The earthquake hit just after 11pm local time, under the cover of darkness, when many people would have been asleep. Many people are still spending nights on the streets, fearful of aftershocks, either unable or not wanting to return home. Almost 3,000 people have lost their lives and the death toll is rising as rescue operations continue.

A ShelterBox response team is in Morocco. They have been meeting people affected by the earthquake and assessing the damage to villages in the mountains to decide what combinations of aid will be most suitable. The damage to villages we’ve visited is severe and there are rocks and rubble everywhere you look. Homes have collapsed on the side of the mountain, leaving people with with little option but to sleep out in the open or in communal tents. 

We are responding in Morocco, supporting thousands of people left homeless by the earthquake. We’re working hard to get tents, thermal blankets, solar lights, and kitchen sets to communities without adequate shelter in mountain villages. 

Morocco hasn’t seen a crisis on this scale for a long time, so we’re taking the necessary steps to get our aid into the country – and that takes time. We have response team members here with supply chain expertise, navigating the necessary logistics to get aid into the country and to the people we’re supporting. There are large distances between mountain villages and getting aid to the people we are supporting will be challenging.