Mozambican President, Filipe Nyusi, today defended international solidarity with Morocco by mobilising support and specialised teams to mitigate the consequences of Friday’s earthquake.
“While we express our solidarity with the Moroccan people, we recognise the challenges faced by rescue teams struggling to reach those most in need. The location of the epicentre in the High Atlas Mountains, close to the historic city of Marrakech, adds to the gravity of the situation,” reads the message released this morning by the Mozambican head of state.
The earthquake that struck Morocco on Friday night caused more than 2,000 deaths and more than two thousand injuries and caused widespread damage in the Marrakech region, an important Moroccan tourist destination.
In the same message, Filipe Nyusi expressed “deep sadness and regret” at the “tragedy” and sent “condolences to the Moroccan people in these difficult times”.
“At this time of pain and discomfort, it is our duty to offer our support, prayers and assistance to our Moroccan brothers and sisters as they face this unprecedented crisis. I therefore take this opportunity to call on African countries, the United Nations, as well as other humanitarian organisations and the international community in general to urgently mobilise support and specialised teams to assist in search and rescue operations, as well as to cover immediate needs,” he added.
The earthquake, whose epicentre was in the town of Ighil, 63 kilometres southwest of the city of Marrakech, was felt in Portugal and Spain and reached a magnitude of 7.0 on the Richter scale, according to Morocco’s National Geophysics Institute.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) recorded the magnitude of the earthquake at 6.8.
Lusa
