Mum who survived Moroccan earthquake recalls fear of never seeing family again

12 September 2023 , 09:00

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British salon owner Elżbieta Kiełkowska was enjoying a getaway in Morocco when the quake struck on Friday night

A British mum found herself caught near the catastrophic Moroccan earthquake and feared she would never see her family again.

Elżbieta Kiełkowska, from Glasgow in Scotland, was with a group of 17 other women on holiday in Ouarzazate, around 120 miles south of the capital Marrakesh, when the rumbles ripped through huge swathes of the country on Friday night. Though the quake struck near Ljoukak, around 150 miles from Ouarzazate, tremors were experienced as far afield as Portugal and Algeria in the biggest quake the country has ever seen.

Elżbieta, who runs a hair salon, was at her hotel when she realised something was amiss at around 11pm. She said: "It felt like a washing machine was going off under my feet and everything was vibrating all around us. We were immediately ordered to evacuate the hotel and to go towards the town square. The buildings around us began to crumble and I ran for my life. My shoes fell off and I was almost hit by a passing motorbike as people fled and panicked, but I barely even noticed.” Moments after the tremors rumbled, her hotel burst into flames after a gas boiler explosion.

Elżbieta with Abdul in the Sahara Desert

People have been staying on the streets after being made homeless or because they are so scared of aftershocks they're refusing to go inside

She told the Daily Record: "I can't explain the horror of it all. We were all just standing there breathing in dust and shaking in fear as the tremors continued. I was terrified that the earth would crack underneath me and I would never get home to my family."

At least 2000 people are now thought to have died in the earthquake which has destroyed buildings from villages in the Atlas Mountains to the historic city of Marrakesh. Moroccan television showed scenes from the aftermath as many stayed outside fearing aftershocks. Anxious families stood in the streets or huddled on the pavement, some carrying children, blankets or other belongings.

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A woman is overcome with grief as the body of her husband is removed from beneath a collapsed house on September 11 (Getty Images)

Moroccan media reported that the 12th-century Koutoubia Mosque in Marrakesh, one of the city’s most famed landmarks, suffered damage, but the extent was not immediately clear. Local people also posted videos showing damage to parts of the famous red walls that surround the city, a Unesco World Heritage site.

The epicentre of Friday’s tremor was near the town of Ighil in Al Haouz province, roughly 43 miles south of Marrakesh. The USGS said the epicentre was 11 miles below the Earth’s surface while Morocco’s seismic agency put it at seven miles down. Such shallow quakes are more dangerous. The quake was felt as far away as Portugal and Algeria, according to the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere and Algeria’s Civil Defence agency, which oversees emergency response.

Entire towns were reduced to rubble in the rare quake (AFP via Getty Images)

Elżbieta, who is now back home in Scotland, said the trauma of what she witnessed in the country will live with her for a long time. She said: “I haven't been able to sleep since it happened and I just keep hearing the noises and explosions when I close my eyes. The group Elżbieta travelled with MOC Kobiet are now fundraising to raise cash for their tour guide Abdul who has lost family and friends in the tragedy and is helping with the relief effort. To donate please visit Elżbieta's Facebook page for more details.

Ryan Fahey