The devastating consequences of Morocco’s earthquake on the village of Imi N’Tala
The catastrophic earthquake that struck Morocco is feared to have killed everyone in a small, densely populated town as the death toll from the natural disaster nears 2,700.
Morocco is grappling with the aftermath of a catastrophic 6.8-magnitude earthquake – the deadliest the country has seen in over six decades, leaving countless communities in ruins.
The devastating quake struck late on Friday night, approximately 72 kilometers southwest of the vibrant city of Marrakech, sending shockwaves through the High Atlas Mountains region.
As rescue teams from around the world rally to assist, the death toll has risen to a staggering 2,681, with 2,501 people reported injured, according to Moroccan state media.
Among the hardest-hit areas is the remote mountain village of Imi N’Tala, where it is believed that nearly everyone in the town has perished, leaving a haunting silence in the wake of the disaster.
Aerial footage captured by Spanish rescuer Antonio Nogales, a member of the aid group Bomberos Unidos Sin Fronteras (United Firefighters Without Borders), reveals the extent of the devastation, with homes reduced to rubble and debris strewn across steep slopes.
Nogales said: “The level of destruction is… absolute. Not a single house has stayed upright. We’re going to start our search with dogs and see whether we can find anyone alive.”
Part of the reason for Imi N’Tala’s horrific suffering could be due to the densely packed nature of its buildings.
Sky News correspondent Adam Parsons, who arrived at Imi N’Tala, expressed growing concern about the fate of the village’s residents: “There is a growing fear that the vast majority in this one community have died in this earthquake.”
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Parsons and his team tirelessly searched for survivors or witnesses from the village to interview but found no one, heightening concerns that perhaps not a single person in the town survived the devastating tremors.
Parsons observed that while some residents may have fled, there is a “real fear” that the vast majority of Imi N’Tala’s population may have perished in the disaster. He also noted that in the town, he witnessed the burial of a child and observed “dozens and dozens” of freshly marked headstones.
Currently, numerous volunteers have converged on Imi N’Tala to assist in the ongoing search and rescue efforts. Teams from Spain, Britain, and Qatar have dispatched search-and-rescue specialists equipped with sniffer dogs, lending their expertise to the mission.
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In response to the tragedy, the European Union has committed an initial one million euros ($1.07million) to non-governmental aid organizations already present in Morocco. The EU is also in close coordination with Moroccan authorities, offering full EU civil protection assistance if needed to address the crisis.
The ordeal is far from over, as experts have warned that aftershocks from the earthquake can persist for months, posing additional challenges to the already massive recovery and rescue efforts.
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