Moroccan earthquake victims abandoned in Atlas Mountains to fend for themselves

Sami Sensis used to enjoy being in Moulay Brahim and it made him happy. The village is up in the mountains of Morocco. The beautiful views, clean air, and kind people made his parents want to go there every summer.

Now they are trapped beneath the debris of their hotel near the remaining area of the village.

The building broke apart a little bit after a very strong earthquake hit Moulay Brahim on Friday night. The middle point of the 6. 8-magnitude earthquake was close to the village. The village is located about two hours southwest of Marrakech.

The earthquake, the most powerful one to happen in Morocco in over 120 years, caused the death of more than 2,000 individuals.

Local government representatives told CNN that 25 individuals lost their lives in the village. As of Sunday afternoon, three people, including Sensis’ parents, were still missing.

Sensis, who is 39 years old, was starting to feel more and more desperate and frustrated. I can’t even bury them. “I cannot see them, and I do not know their whereabouts,” he said, his voice showing signs of strong emotions and anger.

His phone has been ringing continuously for the past two days. Relatives and friends keep calling and asking him for updates all the time. But he has no updates to tell. The website is not working well or safe, and the local fire department has told people to leave the area. This means they have stopped looking for the people who are missing.

There is no action or events occurring. We are just staying put. They chose not to take any action. They are saying that we should wait and not get worried. They are making promises to help. Sensis also tried to go inside the fallen building to look for his parents.

The boss of the hotel, Idsaleh Mahjoub, told CNN that Sensis’ parents were at the hotel when the earthquake happened. He had their names written down, and he knew who they were when he saw their pictures that Sensis showed him.

The people who live nearby saved six individuals from the collapsed hotel. Everyone they rescued was still alive, according to Mahjoub.

“But we couldn’t do anything for the others,” he said. We told the governor about the people who were stuck, but he keeps saying that help will come soon to rescue them. Today, they came to check the place out, and then left to get their stuff.

Morocco’s government received offers of help from other countries like Spain, Qatar, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates. These countries suggested sending search and rescue teams, and after considering their needs, Morocco’s Interior Ministry agreed to accept their assistance.
In pictures: A very strong earthquake causes the death of many people in Morocco.

Moulay Brahim, just like other villages nearby, is difficult to reach. The roads are small and curvy, and some have big rocks in the way from the earthquake.

According to the authorities, some roads higher up in the mountains are still impossible to use, even after 48 hours after the earthquake.

The efforts to bring aid to the large area affected by the earthquake have been slowed down because it is hard to reach the area. Some places have set up camps for emergencies, but people in other areas that are hard to reach have to take care of themselves.

In a village close to Asni, not too far from Moulay Brahim, the first official help from the government came on Sunday morning. In this town of 2,000 people, almost everyone no longer has a place to live.

Many bright yellow tents are now being used as shelter for people whose homes were damaged in the earthquake.

The tents didn’t provide much shady relief from the hot sun on Sunday afternoon.

But the hot weather didn’t stop Leila Idabdelah. Idabdelah was making khobz, a traditional Moroccan flatbread, while carrying her baby on her back. She was preparing the bread to feed those who were affected.

The people in the area are helping each other because they can’t count on official assistance. They have organized themselves and are sharing things they need. Idabdelah was in charge of the bread oven and had made many loafs since morning.

Idabdelah said to CNN that she and her family of five were sleeping when the earthquake happened on Friday. When they quickly stood up and attempted to go outside, they discovered that the strong shaking had caused harm to their house and made it impossible to open the door and windows.

Our neighbors helped us. She said, “They arrived, opened the door for us, and assisted us to go outside. ”

She told CNN that she couldn’t imagine how much time it would take for her family to get a stable roof for their house. The tents are not very good, but they are much better than when the family had to sleep on the floor outside after the earthquake.

In Moulay Brahim, there are no legal tents.

A lot of people are very tired and sad, and their feelings are intense. On Sunday afternoon, there was a fight on the street near where Sensis was waiting for news from the authorities.

As time goes on, it is becoming less likely that anyone will be found alive in the collapsed building.

On Sunday night, they found Sensis’ mother’s body among the debris. His dad is still gone.

Earlier, Sensis told CNN that he had no more hope that his parents might still be alive. However, when he talked about them, he still talked about them as if they were happening now.

Sensis said that they cannot imagine their baby growing up without his grandparents because he loves them. “He keeps repeating: “I want to visit my grandparents, I want to visit my grandparents. ”