Thousands dead in Moroccan earthquake

Rescuers are trying to save people trapped under rubble while residents of earthquake-stricken areas sleep in the streets, afraid unstable buildings will collapse. By Monday morning, more than 2,400 people were confirmed dead in a 6.8 magnitude earthquake that shook Morocco on Friday. The United Nations reported that the earthquake in the High Atlas Mountains southwest of Marrakech affected more than 300,000 people.

Who is aiding the victims? Moroccan officials said Sunday that they are only accepting international aid from four countries: Spain, Qatar, Britain, and the United Arab Emirates. “The Moroccan authorities have carefully assessed the needs on the ground, bearing in mind that a lack of coordination in such cases would be counterproductive,” the Interior Ministry said in a statement.

Dig deeper: Read Sharon Dierberger and Onize Ohikere’s report in WORLD Magazine about a major earthquake in Turkey and Syria earlier this year.