A week after the 6.8-magnitude earthquake that hit Morocco killed nearly 3,000 people, survivors find themselves having to deal with the psychological and physical pain of the aftermath.
In Marrakesh, a bustling tourist centre that was affected by the quake, signs of normality can be seen in the shops and cafes that have opened their doors again. But many buildings are empty, a poignant reminder of the disaster.
Although the old city of Marrakesh was most severely affected by the quake, many residents from across the city seek shelter in the central square, clustered together inside little tents.
Returning home
Dounia Mahmoud, 40, told The National that she now lives by day in her house but as soon as the sun sets, she spends the night in the tent on the street.
When the earthquake hit Morocco on September 8 at around 11pm, many were fast asleep.
“We are afraid. The only reason we go home during the day is to prepare food, as we can’t afford eating outside,” she said.
Ms Mahmoud said all her neighbours do the same. None know when they can go back to their normal life.
“As long as the aftershocks are still happening, we will continue to spend the night on the street,” she said.
Since the earthquake, the region has suffered several aftershocks, the latest of which was on Thursday.
Souhail Abounaim, a member of the Psycologuesmaghreb (Psychologists Maghreb) initiative which was launched after the disaster to provide free therapy to survivors, told The National that avoidance of houses is worrying. He said it could be a sign of post-traumatic stress disorder.
Others said this was to be expected.
“Some people developed a fear of being between walls. It’s a normal post-earthquake trauma,” Anwar Jaarfari, a nurse at Mohammed VI Hospital in Marrakesh, told The National.
“Yesterday, a young girl came to the hospital. She was struggling to breathe. There was no physical explanation for her symptoms. She mentioned feeling an aftershock, and was in a state of distress, screaming and struggling to breathe properly.”
Dr Ismail Shaouf, the deputy chairman of Marrakesh’s provincial council, said that “since the first day of the earthquake, several people from the old city of Marrakesh had to vacate their homes and they had nowhere to go. So, we prepared the sports complex in the city centre to host these families.”
The complex's capacity is up to 1,000 people. But because so many are afraid to return home – even those whose homes are intact – the complex is unable to host everyone.
“We acknowledge that there is a huge need … but we’re in a crisis and we give priority to the ones whose houses have been damaged,” Dr Shaouf said.
He said they are reassuring survivors that their buildings are safe to try to get them to return to their homes.
'We don’t have enough'
Fifty-five kilometres south of Marrakesh lies the small rural area of Talilit, which includes the town of Amizmiz, at the foot of the Atlas Mountains, near the epicentre of the earthquake.
There, fear of aftershocks is not the top concern. Instead, residents are focused on basic needs of food and shelter.
Morocco has only accepted limited foreign support, despite the outpouring of offers from all over the world.
The UN has also said that it was ready to assist but was waiting for an official request from Morocco.
One day after the earthquake, the government announced a series of measures in response to the quake, including the quick evacuation of the injured and the distribution of blankets, tents and water.
Almost a week later, on Thursday, Morocco announced financial assistance for survivors.
According to the official news agency MAP, the royal office announced emergency assistance of 30,000 dirhams (about $2,930) to the affected households.
The state agency also reported the allocation of financial assistance of 140,000 dirhams ($13,676) for completely destroyed homes, while 80,000 dirhams ($7,815) will be allocated for rehabilitation work on partially collapsed residences.
There are no official estimates of the number of destroyed houses. But the UN estimates the quake affected the lives of 300,000 people.
Meanwhile, the residents of quake-hit rural areas like Talilit, who are living in tents made up of their personal blankets after losing their houses, continue to complain of the lack of sufficient aid.
“Talilit is divided into three camps. We are in the middle camp. Aid is not reaching us here. It only reaches the camp adjacent to the road,” said villager Fatima Ouchn, 40, whose house was destroyed.
“It's so cold at night and our children are all coughing, we don’t have enough blankets,” she said.
When asked about food assistance, Ms Ouchn told The National that a few days ago they received some food from one of the charities but since then they have been eating the same food for a week – canned fish and biscuits – some children are starting to develop allergies.
Her four-year-old son had a rash all over his body.
“He never had it before. It started after we began eating this canned fish. We used to eat fresh vegetables,” she said.
“I miss vegetables and fruit,” the boy said.
Mehdi Alaoui, the representative for the Red Cross in Morocco, told The National that the assistance was being distributed across all affected areas.
“At times, reaching smaller towns proves to be a challenge, but the teams are making every effort to ensure tents and essential supplies reach every village,” he said.
This article was published in collaboration with Egab.
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
How to vote
Canadians living in the UAE can register to vote online and be added to the International Register of Electors.
They'll then be sent a special ballot voting kit by mail either to their address, the Consulate General of Canada to the UAE in Dubai or The Embassy of Canada in Abu Dhabi
Registered voters mark the ballot with their choice and must send it back by 6pm Eastern time on October 21 (2am next Friday)
No.6 Collaborations Project
Ed Sheeran (Atlantic)
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
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Winner: AF Alajaj, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)
6.35pm: Race of Future – Handicap (TB) $80,000 (Turf) 2,410m
Winner: Global Storm, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
7.10pm: UAE 2000 Guineas – Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Azure Coast, Antonio Fresu, Pavel Vashchenko
7.45pm: Business Bay Challenge – Listed (TB) $100,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Storm Damage, Patrick Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor
20.20pm: Curlin Stakes – Listed (TB) $100,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Appreciated, Fernando Jara, Doug O’Neill
8.55pm: Singspiel Stakes – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,800m
Winner: Lord Glitters, Daniel Tudhope, David O'Meara
9.30pm: Al Shindagha Sprint – Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Meraas, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
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Manchester City transfers:
OUTS
Pablo Zabaleta, Bacary Sagna, Gael Clichy, Willy Caballero and Jesus Navas (all released)
INS
Ederson (Benfica) £34.7m, Bernardo Silva (Monaco) £43m
ON THEIR WAY OUT?
Joe Hart, Eliaquim Mangala, Samir Nasri, Wilfried Bony, Fabian Delph, Nolito and Kelechi Iheanacho
ON THEIR WAY IN?
Dani Alves (Juventus), Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal)
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Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League last-16, second leg:
Real Madrid 1 (Asensio 70'), Ajax 4 (Ziyech 7', Neres 18', Tadic 62', Schone 72')
Ajax win 5-3 on aggregate
Honeymoonish
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Xpanceo
Started: 2018
Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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