September 12, 2023 – On September 8, 2023, a powerful 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck Morocco in the High Atlas mountains, about 71km (44 miles) southwest of Marrakesh. A city of roughly 840,000 people, Marrakesh and the surrounding area has been most impacted, with many homes and businesses collapsed and nearly 3,000 people killed at the latest count. The death toll is likely to increase as the full extent of the destruction becomes clearer. The impact to the country’s health infrastructure is significant, as many clinics and hospitals have sustained structural damage and access to remote areas is contrained.
The Global Disaster Response and Humanitarian Action (GDRHA) Team is in close contact with our partner organizations as the situation develops. A request for international assistance has not yet been issued, but we will continue to monitor the situation closely. We will update with opportunities to support immediate relief efforts as they arise. In the meantime, please consider donating to organizations already making significant local impact in Morocco.
- Moroccan Red Crescent Society: https://tinyurl.com/yomslaqo
- Global Giving: https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/morocco-earthquake-relief-fund/
- Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), Morocco: https://donate.doctorswithoutborders.org
- International Medical Corps(IMC): https://internationalmedicalcorps.org/what-we-do/emergencies/
