In the aftermath of the disaster at Morocco’s Atlas Mountain, the first resident we encountered in the village had a rough estimate of their situation.
“All the people in this village are either in the hospital or dead,” he said.
As we climbed up, beyond the debris and stone ruins of the old houses, we could understand why no one in the village could have survived.
The old mud and stone structures of the village did not stand a chance against the sheer force of the landslide.
Out of the 200 residents of the village, the death of 90 has been confirmed, with many more still missing.
Hassan, standing amidst the ruins, told us, “Those who are missing did not have a chance to escape. They didn’t even have time to save themselves.”
Hassan mentioned that his uncle is still trapped under the rubble of the landslide, with no possibility of rescue.
There is no heavy machinery to clear the debris in the village. Even after three days, no experts have arrived from outside.
“Allah has confronted us with this situation, and we are grateful to Allah for everything. But now we need assistance from our government. They have been very slow in helping the people,” he said.
Hassan stressed that Morocco’s authorities should accept all forms of international assistance. However, he also expressed doubt that their own pride might prevent them from accepting such help.
