Homeless, traumatized and in some cases feeling abandoned by the authorities, many survivors of the powerful earthquake in Morocco escaped death only out of fear that they were now on their own to stay alive. .
The deadly earthquake has put a heavy burden on the North African kingdom’s emergency resources and some stranded in devastated communities are angry and shocked by what they say is a lack of aid.
“We feel abandoned here, no one has come to help us,” said 43-year-old Khadija Aitlkyd from the ruins of her village in Missirat in a remote area high in the Atlas Mountains.
“Our houses are collapsing… where will we live?” he asked amid the ruins of a small, isolated settlement where the stench of death hung in the air.
Residents of the village of less than 100 people said the bodies of 16 locals who died in the earthquake had been recovered, but their dead animals under rocks and trees had begun to rot.
The violent tremors that flattened entire villages caused losses that on Monday crossed 2,800 dead and nearly as many injured.
Another survivor, Mohammed Bouaziz, saw his town of Moulay Brahim south of Marrakesh badly hit by Morocco’s deadliest earthquake in more than six decades. About 20 residents died.
“We received some help … but it’s not enough,” said the 29-year-old who is part of a local group trying to meet the needs of about 600 homeless residents.
More than 48 hours after the earthquake, running water has been restored in Moulay Brahim and families are sharing bathrooms in the few houses that are still standing.
