2023-09-11 10:18:00
As of: September 11, 2023 12:18 p.m
After the severe earthquake in Morocco, the death toll has risen to more than 2,100. There was an aftershock on Sunday morning. An eyewitness from Lower Saxony reports on the dimensions.
According to the US Earthquake Observatory USGS, the aftershock had a magnitude of 3.9. However, there is no danger from aftershocks for the buildings that were not damaged in the first quake, Henning Zellmer told NDR Lower Saxony on Sunday. The geologist and office manager of the Geopark Support Association Braunschweiger Land – Ostfalen traveled to Marrakech for a UNESCO conference. “You also have to know that the scale of earthquake magnitude is not linear. So now when we hear about aftershocks with a magnitude of 4 or 3, they are more than a thousand times smaller.” According to the US Earthquake Observatory USGS, the quake late on Friday evening had a magnitude of 6.8.
“Situation in Marrakesh is under control”
The Marrakech Regional Blood Transfusion Center has called for blood donations for the injured.
The UNESCO conference was interrupted after the first quake; in the afternoon, hundreds of participants from all over the world donated blood. They couldn’t do much more on site, explained Zellmer: “The situation in Marrakech itself is controlled.” Most people in the city quickly calmed down after the quake. However, many of them would not want to return to their buildings and would instead sleep outside. Due to three days of national mourning, most of the Moroccan city’s shops are closed, but the first few have now reopened. Zellmer and the conference participants currently have to wait in Morocco; it is currently not possible to book earlier return flights, says Zellmer.
Eyewitness: Destruction varies
Henning Zellmer (left) and his Indonesian friend and colleague Adjie Achmad Ridwan can only wait in Marrakech.
Eick von Ruschkowski from Laatzen (Hannover region), director of the Alfred Toepfer Academy in Schneverdingen (Heidekreis), also took part in the Unseco conference. He reported to NDR Lower Saxony on Saturday that the destruction in Marrakesh varies greatly. There was no damage to some buildings, while houses or walls collapsed just one street away, said von Ruschkowski. “The picture is very inconsistent and it’s not like the whole city is in ruins here.” Most of the damage occurred in the suburbs and in the mountains, said Zellmer. Many of the clay buildings there had fallen into very small pieces due to the way they were constructed. Therefore, there is little hope of recovering many living operas. “What we notice here is that injured people from surrounding regions are still being brought to hospitals on a regular basis.”
The federal government offers help – THW is preparing for deployment
The federal government called Morocco on Saturday devastating earthquake Help offered. However, so far there has been no request for help from Morocco, a THW spokesman said on Sunday. The window of opportunity in which there is a high probability of rescuing people alive from under rubble has now almost closed. “The THW is now checking whether and how the country can be helped by delivering relief supplies.” The Osnabrück organization @fire is no longer expecting a request for help, a spokesman told NDR Lower Saxony on Sunday. The team specializes in providing assistance during earthquakes and forest fires. Around 40 helpers were deployed during the devastating earthquake in Turkey at the beginning of February. At that time they were able to rescue five people alive from the rubble.
VIDEO: Eyewitness to Morocco earthquake: Destruction varies (2 min)
6.8 magnitude earthquake – at shallow depth
The Quake in Morocco occurred late Friday evening and lasted several seconds. The epicenter was in the sparsely populated Atlas Mountains at a depth of only 18.5 kilometers. According to experts, earthquakes at such shallow depths are particularly dangerous. More than 2,100 people died and more than 2,400 others were injured.
Further information
Specialists from Rostock and Wismar also want to fly to Morocco to help in the disaster area. (09/10/2023) more
“Five lives saved is an overwhelming summary of our mission,” said leader Florian Zonker after returning. (02/19/2023) more
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NDR 1 Lower Saxony | Current | Sep 11, 2023 | 8:30 a.m
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