The number of people who died in the earthquake has risen to almost 2,497, according to the Moroccan interior ministry. Another 2,500 individuals were injured in the earthquake that devastated villages in the Atlas Mountains.
The World Health Organisation estimates that 300,000 people have been affected by the disaster, and the earthquake is the largest to have hit the region since before 1900.
Villages in ruins
Islamic Relief has sent emergency teams to the area to assess the most critical needs and identify local humanitarian organizations we can work with to deliver vital aid. During these assessments, we have visited villages such as Tikekht, which has been badly hit. Of the 80 people who lived in the village, only 6 are thought to have survived.
Getting aid to remote areas is proving difficult due to the extensive damage done to the roads.
Field hospitals are being constructed, and a huge tent camp has been set up near Asni town, near the epicenter of the quake, for families that have lost their homes. Many grief-stricken survivors have no shelter and are suffering from extreme heat during the day, and bitter cold at night.
Islamic Relief on the ground
Through the assessments so far, Islamic Relief has identified that the main needs are providing those affected with sufficient food to eat and temporary shelters for those whose homes have been destroyed. Nights are cold in the mountains, and conditions are expected to worsen with winter looming, so survivors are in urgent need of blankets.
Islamic Relief has launched a £10 million appeal to help earthquake survivors and will be coordinating with local partners in the coming days to begin humanitarian interventions.
