In Morocco, which was hit by a large-scale earthquake, sad stories of losing family members are being told one after another.
Above all, the international community’s support is desperately needed for rescue operations, but residents’ complaints are growing over the passive attitude of the Moroccan authorities.
This is reporter Choi Young-joo’s report.
[Reporter]
The village of Tapegagte near Marrakech, located about 50 kilometers from the epicenter, was
once a peaceful and quiet place, but was turned into ruins with only a pile of stones.
Ben Hena looks around his collapsed house and brings up difficult memories.
The night the earthquake occurred, he lost his 8-year-old son in the chaos.
[Ben Hena / Resident of Tapegagte Village, Morocco: That night, we were eating dinner. Asked his son to get a knife to cut the dessert. As soon as my son went to the kitchen, the earthquake occurred.]
In this village, nearly half of the 200 residents were found dead, and many people were missing, the BBC reported .
In particular, it is said that children made great sacrifices due to the sudden earthquake that struck late at night.
Rescue operations are slow in the highlands of the Atlas Mountains안전놀이터, where the damage is concentrated, due to the loss of communication and roads, and
if the damage to remote villages is confirmed in detail, the number of casualties is likely to increase further.
[Andini Mustafa / Resident of Asni: There are still many blocked roads. Many children have not found their parents and are still trapped under the rubble. People are still looking for their relatives. Mountains, houses, everything collapsed.]
Many countries, including the United States, China, and France, expressed solidarity with Morocco, which is suffering from damage from a strong earthquake, but
only a few countries, including Spain, Qatar, Tunisia, and Jordan, provided actual international support. do.
This is because Moroccan authorities have not officially requested assistance from other countries.
Residents who have lost their families and homes are resentful of the government’s passive behavior.
[Asrir Abdesadeq / Resident of Marrakech: All the houses are destroyed, and this is the only place for everyone to sleep. No help, no support. The night is cold.]
While some say this is to show that the Moroccan government has the ability to overcome this disaster on its own, the residents’ worries are deepening.