The death toll has exceeded 2,800.

Search teams from Spain, the United Kingdom, and Qatar are joining rescue efforts in Morocco following a powerful 6.8 magnitude earthquake that struck late Friday in the High Atlas Mountains, with its epicenter 72 km southwest of Marrakech.

The death toll from the earthquake in Morocco continues to rise daily. Photo: Reuters

State television reported that the death toll had risen to 2,862 and 2,562 people were injured. Rescue workers said the widespread traditional mud-brick houses in the area had reduced the chances of finding survivors because they were in ruins.

Among the dead was seven-year-old Suleiman Aytnasr, who was carried into his bedroom by his mother after falling asleep in the living room of their home in a village outside Talat N'Yaaqoub, one of the hardest-hit areas. He was about to start a new school year.

In the village of Tagadirte, where only a few buildings remain, Mohamed Ouchen, 66, describes how villagers pulled 25 survivors from the rubble immediately after the earthquake.

One of those rescued was his sister. “We didn’t have any tools, we had to use our bare hands,” he said. “Her head was sticking out and we continued digging by hand.”

The video , filmed by Spanish rescuer Antonio Nogales of the Bomberos Unidos Sin Fronteras aid group, shows rescue teams searching with sniffer dogs still hoping to find survivors.

"I'm sure there will be some rescues in the coming days. We think there might still be people in the collapsed buildings, there might still be pockets of air, and as I said, we never give up hope," he said.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, this was the deadliest earthquake in the North African nation since 1960, when an earthquake is estimated to have killed at least 12,000 people and was the strongest since at least 1900.

In a televised statement on Sunday, Moroccan government spokesman Mustapha Baytas said that all rescue efforts were underway on the ground. The country's military said it was reinforcing search and rescue teams, providing drinking water, and distributing food, tents, and blankets.

Hoang Anh (according to Reuters)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/dong-dat-o-morocco-so-nguoi-chet-vuot-qua-2800-luc-luong-cuu-ho-chay-dua-voi-thoi-gian-post264236.html