Sunday morning, Djemaa El Fna – the well-known massive open sq. in Marrakech the place meals stalls, distributors and snake charmers entertain day and night time guests.
Here too you’ll be able to see clear traces of the earthquake. The crimson historic wall is partially damaged, lengthy cracks run by way of the crimson buildings, excavators are clearing away rubble. At the identical time, vacationers sit in cafés or are guided by way of the outdated city in teams. Marrakech’s virtually solely supply of financial exercise, tourism, remains to be working.
Kamil Drzisga speaks to us in entrance of a small mosque whose minaret has fully collapsed when he sees the microphone. Kamil is 28 years outdated, from Limburg, and he’s within the metropolis with a pal for just a few days. He was in his lodge within the labyrinthine outdated city when the earthquake struck on Friday night.
“When it started, we thought a plane was coming down somehow,” says Drzisga. “And then we ran into the street. It was all very panicked.” You might see that folks have been “still working with everything that happened here.” Last night time, lots of people slept exterior, says the Limburger. Shops have been partially attempting to reopen, however it could definitely be just a few extra days earlier than some extent of normalcy returned.
Earthquake stunned many of their sleep
Change of location: We’re going to the mountains. There, massive yellow excavators take away huge boulders from the slender streets that wind by way of ravines. Near right here, Morocco’s largest mountain – Toubkal – rises greater than 4,000 meters excessive. The village of Tansghart is about 50 kilometers from Marrakech. About 300 individuals stay right here. An alarming variety of homes are in rubble and dirt. One of the residents, Mountasir Itri, desires to indicate his home – or what’s left of it.
Mountasir repeatedly walks previous villagers: hugs – then expressions of condolence observe. The earthquake right here price 9 lives. Including an entire household. Like many right here, the earthquake stunned the household whereas they have been sleeping; their home collapsed on high of them. The mother and father and their three youngsters have been buried on Sunday morning.
Hardly any medical care in mountain villages
The ladies of Tansghart have joined forces in a free house and try to prepare dinner from what little they’ve left. They solely return to their homes to get what they want. Everyone sleeps exterior at night time. This remains to be doable as a result of it’s sizzling throughout the day and pleasantly cool within the night.
There is now not any water or electrical energy within the village. The residents have arrange makeshift tents, with mattresses, pillows and blankets mendacity right here and there. Small youngsters play on it. “We lost everything,” says one girl. She studies on sick youngsters and outdated individuals with diabetes who lack insulin and drugs. She solely has milk for her youngsters to eat. So far no physician has come to the village – one baby has already died.
“The earthquake destroyed everything in seconds”
Mountasir stands in entrance of the rubble of his home. Mountains of stone, rubble – grey on grey. He constructed proper subsequent to his father’s small, outdated home – a rammed earth constructing. Three flooring, the view over the inexperienced gorge ought to delight household and pals. “For years I had the big dream of building it. I’ve been building it for ten years. Bit by bit with the help of my family,” he says. They had deliberate to stay there collectively. “Ten years – and then the earthquake comes and destroys everything in seconds and makes us homeless. Now we sleep on the ground.”
Mountasir’s household was unharmed within the earthquake. Others have had it a lot worse, he says. “It’s just a house.” He shakes his head earlier than his voice fails.
The father’s home remains to be standing. Mountasir’s sister Ikram opens the black steel gate. She invitations you into the small courtyard in entrance of her father’s home. She asks us whether or not we need to have tea with them earlier than we go away. We are perplexed, however we don’t reject it. The home has enormous cracks inside. Among the rubble, Ikram prepares mint tea in a small steel pot. We sit on bast mats, homes and lives lie in ruins round us.
Source: www.nationalturk.com
