John Culatto
THE Moorish Castle was lit green in solidarity with Morocco on Saturday as Gibraltar expressed its concern for the strong earthquake that struck the Marrakesh area killing nearly 2,500 people.
Chief Minister Fabian Picardo expressed how the ‘the significant loss of life and damage will be received by all of us here in Gibraltar with much sadness’.
He said the British territory was looking to send a medical team to the area to help its southern neighbour recover from the natural disaster.
Some of the hundreds of Moroccan descendants who now live on the Rock held a vigil in Convent Place to mark the tragedy.
“The Government of Gibraltar, for itself and on behalf of the people of Gibraltar, wishes to convey our thoughts and prayers to our friends and neighbours to the south and, in particular, to our wonderful Moroccan community here at home,” Picardo said in a statement.
“I regrettably expect that there will be those in our community today who find themselves affected by grief and loss, and I wish to send them both our heartfelt condolences and the help we might be able to offer.
“I have today written to King Mohammed VI, to offer our help to the Kingdom and country of Morocco, and to express our support for all those caught up in this tragedy.”
He said in the letter to the Moroccan king he was trying to find out ‘if any Gibraltarians have been caught up in the disaster in order to be able to assist them’.
Gibraltar has strong links with Morocco following the thousands that went to the Rock in the 1970s to work after General Franco closed the frontier in 1969.
The 6.8 magnitude quake struck late on Friday night 72 km southwest of Marrakech in central Morocco.
Search teams from Spain, UK and Qatar were joining the Moroccan army to find any remaining survivors Monday.
The state news agency said up to 2,467 died in the natural catastrophe, with more bodies expected to be dug up over coming days.
Rescue efforts are being hampered by the remote areas hit by the quake, with some buildings were also damaged in the tourist hotspot of Marrakesh.
READ MORE:
- Spain mobilises relief aid for Morocco as earthquake death toll rises above 2,000
- Two earthquakes shake Spain’s Andalucia just hours after deadly Morocco disaster – but experts insist they are not linked
- Is Spain due a mammoth earthquake? What the Morocco disaster means for neighbouring Andalucia
