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Democracy Now!

Morocco: Earthquake Death Toll at 2,500; Criticism Grows over King's Response to Humanitarian Crisis

This clip is from the Sept. 11, 2023 broadcast.

An update from Morocco, which has declared three days of mourning after the strongest earthquake to hit the region in at least a century. About 2,500 people died in the 6.8-magnitude earthquake that struck the country on Friday, with another 2,500 injured and the death toll expected to rise. The epicenter was in the High Atlas Mountains located about 44 miles from Marrakech, where many villages remain largely inaccessible and lack both electricity and running water.

The earthquake also damaged parts of Marrakech, including its old city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. "Democracy Now!" speaks with Moroccan scholars Abdellah El Haloui, in Marrakech, where he is head of the English Department at Cadi Ayyad University, and Brahim El Guabli, associate professor of Arabic studies at Williams College, originally from Ouarzazate, Morocco, which was hit by the earthquake.

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