Rescuers struggle to reach remote areas in quake-hit Morocco

Rabat [Morocco], September 14: Rescue efforts continued in Morocco on Wednesday, as clearing blocked, rugged pathways to reach isolated towns remained a challenge following a powerful earthquake that struck five days ago.
The 6.8-magnitude quake that hit the kingdom on Friday triggered rockslides, blocking roads and making it hard for rescue teams to reach the mountainous areas in the North African country.
Ibrahim Eidmo, an eyewitness, told dpa that army and civil defence personnel were able to transfer injured people to hospitals in Marrakesh and deliver basic aid, including food and blankets to several towns.
However, the last point that cars were able to reach are the towns of Ijjoukak and TalatN'Yaaqoub, two of the mountain villages hit by the earthquake in the province of Al-Haouz, the epicentre of the quake.
Efforts to remove rocks and dust from roads have been slow for fear of potential rockslides, he said.
Roads cleared by authorities are very narrow, and would not allow two cars to pass in different directions. Eidmo said it took him 4 hours to travel from Ijjoukak to Marrakesh when it used to be less than a 2-hour trip.
Excavators were seen clearing boulders from a narrow road going up a mountain.
Military aircraft were used to deliver blankets and aid to the remote mountainous areas that could not be reached by cars.
Meanwhile, the German Red Cross (DRK) said it is sending a first aid transport to the earthquake-hit region on Thursday morning.
A plane is expected to leave Germany loaded with some 37 tons of aid supplies, including more than 3,000 insulating floor mats and 550 family-size tents, the DRK said.
Many of the quake victims in isolated areas have been asking the authorities and volunteers for tents, after thousands of houses were destroyed.
Source: Qatar Tribune