Morocco earthquake hero digs neighbour out of the rubble with his bare hands
Remarkable stories of bravery and hope are emerging from the ruins of remote mountain villages devastated by the Moroccan earthquake.
Yesterday it was announced at least 2,122 people have been killed, with more than 2,059 others injured, many of them critically in Friday’s quake. The United Nations estimated that in total 300,000 people were affected and there are fears that in one small town alone, Amizmiz, more than 2,000 have died.
But as a massive clear up operation swings into action, inspiring locals have told of all they did to save their friends, families and neighbours. Large parts of Moulay Brahin, a remote village carved into the Atlas mountains, were reduced to rubble in seconds late on Friday night when the 6.8 quake struck.
As I walked around the village with Mirror photographer Tim Merry the true extent of the destruction became clear. Family homes reduced to ruins, streets strewn with rubble and desperate survivors doing all they could to keep themselves and the children safe.
Villagers inspect the rubble of collapsed homes (AFP via Getty Images)IT programmer Abdelmajid Idfrrazen told how he ran from his house as the walls started to crumble - and then dug his 70-year-old neighbour out of the rubble with his bare hands.
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He said: “I was going to sleep when we felt the first shock. It was after 11pm and it lasted about three seconds. Then there was another, about 13 seconds. It was very short, but it was terrifying. We all ran to try and get outside. Bricks and rubble were falling. Now all the homes here are irreparable. Many people died.”
After checking his parents and uncle were safe Abdelmajid, 36, stumbled across a 70-year-old neighbour trapped under his collapsed walls. “His breath was very short, he had one hand sticking out. We were grabbing things with our hands or any tool we could find. It was late at night and dark, but we kept digging for three hours. We got him out but he was badly hurt. He was taken away in a vehicle and then a helicopter took him to hospital in Marrakech. We hope he is okay.”
Mourners attend a funeral in Moulay (Tim Merry/Daily Mirror)Abdelmajid took The Mirror on a tour of the village showing the damage caused to the homes of families and friends. While in his uncle’s house two fire officers visited asking everyone to leave their properties.
He said: “Over 90% of the village is gone, people can’t live in their houses anymore. They are dangerous. We still have electricity but no water and we are worried about aftershocks. It will take years and years to repair. Houses will have to be demolished and rebuilt, but how can we do this?”
Many families in the village, which has a population of less than 3,000, have now built temporary shelters in the square - traditionally used for joyous occasions like weddings - as they fear their homes may collapse.
Yesterday eight-year-old Niama was leading her shell-shocked elderly grandmother, Hadod, to safety through the rubble towards the square. In broken English she said: “Everything was shaking, people are hurt..”
Oussama Amsetag, 23, and Hassan Azaz, 25, who were helping their families construct the makeshift shanty town, told how they had lost three friends in the quake.
Residents sleep in the streets after the earthquake (Lafargue Raphael/ABACA/REX/Shutterstock)Hassan said: “I was at home and everything was shaking. There was great danger. The walls were coming down. I know three friends who died, some of them teenagers. Now the village is helping themselves. People are bringing food and milk to help us.”
As The Mirror visited the village a double funeral was taking place in the shadow of the mosque, just 36 hours after the devastating quake. According to Islamic custom, burial should happen quickly after death. A group of around 40 men gathered in the cemetery as the bodies wrapped in sheets were carried to the freshly dug graves. Prayers were read as the two people - believed to be from the same family - were buried.
At the top of the hill female relatives were hysterically crying, with one woman carried away by loved ones after collapsing through grief. The region was hit by a smaller 3.9 aftershock on Sunday which left many shaken. In the village of Asni, a few miles down the mountain from Moulay Brahin, large crowds gathered desperate for shelter and supplies.
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A body is recovered from collapsed houses in Tafeghaghte (AFP via Getty Images)As trucks carrying aid passed through they were swarmed by young men who grabbed all they could to help their families. Mbark Idqbude told how he grabbed his three young boys - aged 15, nine and three - when he felt the earth start shaking and ran into the street.
“I grabbed my children, my house is destroyed, everywhere is destroyed. The ground shook again this morning. I got my 90-year-old mother to safety. She is staying with friends, she can’t stay here.”
The family is now living in one of dozens of makeshift blue shelters, made from a plastic tarpaulin, on waste land in the village. Jewellery seller Mbark, 55, said: “We will be here for six months, maybe longer. The earthquake was far worse up the mountain 50-60 kilometres away, hundreds and hundreds killed. All those families will come down looking for somewhere to live. This place will get bigger. It is chaotic, we need more tents and supplies. If it rains or snows here in the winter it will be terrible.”
A volunteer searches the rubble for survivors (AFP via Getty Images)The Mirror attempted to travel to the other villages affected by the quake - but the roads remain impassable for cars. Huge diggers and bulldozers are clearing giant boulders which have hurtled down the mountains while aid and army trucks battle to reach those affected in the most remote areas. Friday’s quake, Morocco’s strongest ever recorded, struck 72km (45 miles) south-west of Marrakech, wiping out entire villages in rural areas.
Morocco has declared three days of mourning, during which the national flag would be flown at half mast, the royal court said. The Moroccan armed forces were deploying rescue teams to provide affected areas with clean drinking water, food supplies, tents and blankets Neighbouring Algeria, which has had rocky relations with Morocco, opened its airspace, which had been closed for two years, to flights carrying humanitarian aid and the injured.
About 100 teams made up of a total of 3,500 rescuers from around the world are registered with a U.N. platform and ready to deploy in Morocco when asked. Medical aid charity UK-Med is due to be part of a specialist team of aid workers which is deploying from the UK to Morocco on Monday.
David Wightwick said their priority will be to reach the remote areas up in the Atlas Mountains which have been badly affected by the earthquake.
“We will look at how we can bring healthcare there. “We are also in negotiations with the local ministry of health, hospitals and local communities.”
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