As the death toll from Morocco’s deadliest earthquake for decades reaches more than 2,000, many of those booked to travel to the North African country as the hiking season picks up in cooler autumn weather, will be asking if it’s safe or even appropriate to go there.
Marrakech
The quake’s epicentre was in the Atlas mountains, just 72 km (45 miles) outside well-known tourist favourite and fourth largest city, Marrakech, a city that draws 4.3 million visitors annually, according to the Moroccan Tourism Observartory.
Some 12th century structures are reportedly damaged and footage has shown plumes of dust and piles of rubble. The US Geological Survey has said a quake of this magnitude has not been felt in that region for 120 years.
The Independent has estimated from flight data that around 5,000 to 8,000 UK holidaymakers alone are already in the area. Many are staying in the ancient heart of the city, or in modern hotels on the outskirts.
Residents and visitors to the country have given hair-raising eye-witness accounts of the event, rated at a magnitude of 6.8, Speaking to the AFP, Marrakech resident Abdelhak El Amrani, 33, said he “felt a violent tremor, and I realised it was an earthquake. I could see buildings moving.”
I thought my bed was going to fly away. I went out into the street half-naked. It was total chaos, a real catastrophe, madness. There were a lot of people there. People were all in shock and panic. Children were crying and the parents were distraught.
Michael Bizet, french tourist, told the press:
Atlas mountains
In worrying news for those seeking information about their relatives, access is challenging for emergency responders trying to reach villages closer to the epicentre in the mountains, places that are “already difficult” to get to “before you compound that with difficulties like rubble or problems with roads,” according to Stanford University Morocco expert, Samia Errazzouki, in the Guardian.
As well as endangering the sometimes-marginalised communities who live there, the quake may have affected the many foreign hikers and trekkers drawn to the High Atlas landscape as scorching summer temperatures mellow.
Residents of Asni, 48 km (30 miles) south of Marrakech in the Atlas foothills, were thrown out of beds, according to the Guardian, and saw ‘“surrounding houses, especially the mud-brick ones, had crumbled and the others had huge fatal cracks, like they could collapse at any moment.”’
No airlift
Moroccan airports are still operating, and airlines including British Airways, easyjet, Ryan and Tui have all flown in and out – some offering larger aircraft on departing flights to accommodate those leaving early or unexpectedly.
The Independent reports however that there are no current airlift plans and travellers should expect to get their planned flight, unless otherwise informed.
Those wishing to discuss their travel plans with their carrier have been urged to do so, with most airlines saying they are taking a “flexible” approach.
We’re still a bit hesitant about whether to leave.
Dominik Huber, french tourist, told the AFP.
No government advisory
Like airlines, holiday companies such as Tui are directing travellers to discuss needs with representatives. But as The Independent points out, with no government advisory in place against travel to Morocco, it is very difficult for travellers to claim grounds for immediate cancellation.
Whether you’re worried about aftershocks, or about being a burden at a time of national crisis, “if you choose not to travel before your holiday company makes a decision, you are likely to lose most or all of your money.”
Others take a different approach. “We’re still a bit hesitant about whether to leave,” tourist Dominik Huber, 26, told the AFP. “But it seems relatively safe. And also, by staying we are contributing in a small way to supporting the Moroccans.”
