It was delicate work for the searchers to remove the woman’s body from the rubble of a village that effectively ceased to exist in Morocco’s deadliest earthquake in over six decades. Her 25-year-old fiance, Omar Ait Mbarek, watched the digging Sunday with his eyes red and full of tears, surrounded by onlookers just kilometers from the quake epicenter in the Atlas Mountains, where many buildings have been destroyed and thousands more made uninhabitable.
Hundreds are still missing in this region of southeastern Morocco, where most buildings were built with stone and timber using traditional construction techniques. Almost 2,000 people lost their homes in villages near Moulay Brahim, where residents had been waiting for official government aid since the deadly 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck late on Friday.
With twisted steel reinforcement rods protruding from the debris, it was clear that the ancient structures were no match for the power of nature and man. Some villagers could escape from collapsing buildings, but others were trapped inside.
One of the earliest rescues occurred in Tikht, where a father and daughter were pulled out alive. Buried under concrete, the girl was not harmed, but her mother died.
Another dramatic rescue occurred in the village of Jinderis, where a man was rescued from a house that collapsed while he slept with his wife. The couples were trapped for several hours but survived the ordeal thanks to their quick thinking.
For villagers, however, the tragedy was a shattering blow to their livelihoods and a significant setback to their attempts at reviving their lives. Many people now live in tents on the streets of their villages, where there are few official refugees. Locals are organizing themselves, sharing resources, and helping each other.
Despite the destruction, some locals remain positive and determined to build a new future for themselves in their devastated communities. In the old city of Marrakech, UNESCO World Heritage site and tourist attractions that draw visitors who account for seven percent of the country’s economy, locals hope that more survivors will be found in the rubble.
