Earthquake in Morocco: French rescue volunteers head to Marrakech

From Lyon, Nice or Saint-Etienne, groups of volunteers are heading to Morocco to take part in relief efforts following the devastating earthquake that killed more than 2,000 people, according to information obtained by AFP from various sources.

According to information provided by the Rhône prefecture, Lyon volunteer firefighters from the Casc Appui association arrived at around 1:00 am on Sunday in Marrakech, were met at the civil protection headquarters and were dispatched about fifty kilometers from the tourist capital.

According to the same source, the team, consisting of 4 search rescuers, a nurse and a specialist with a dog, whose departure was reported by the local press, took on board about 300 kg of equipment.

“Once there, we will make ourselves available to the local authorities.”

In Saint-Etienne, the association of civil protection specialists PHF sent a team of eight people (a doctor, two nurses and three rescuers) and equipment to Marrakesh on Sunday afternoon on a commercial flight from Lyon.

“We decided to send a team now to act as efficiently as possible. Once there, we will make ourselves available to the local authorities,” Mathieu Bojirod, vice-president of the association, told AFP.

The social network is providing assistance to the Moroccan authorities.

From France to the US, including Israel, countries around the world have offered aid to Morocco, and most are still waiting for the official green light from Rabat to deploy humanitarian aid.

France is ready to intervene

France is ready to “intervene” to help Morocco “second,” Moroccan authorities “will find it useful,” President Emmanuel Macron recalled on Sunday on the sidelines of the G20 summit in New Delhi, while Spain has already sent humanitarian aid.

The president of the French NGO Secouristes sans frontières, Arnaud Freiss, said on Sunday morning on France Inter that the teams remained at Orly airport “because the Moroccan government is completely blocking all rescue teams.”

At least 2,012 people were killed in a powerful earthquake that struck Morocco on Friday night, causing widespread damage and panic in Marrakesh, a popular tourist destination, and several other cities.

A UNESCO mission went to the Marrakesh medina on Saturday to “inventory damage to heritage,” “secure buildings and prepare for reconstruction,” its director-general Audrey Azoulay said on X (ex-Twitter).