Morocco struggles after rare, powerful earthquake kills and injures scores of people

ALGIERS, Algeria — Algeria has offered humanitarian aid to neighboring Morocco after a powerful earthquake in the kingdom on Friday night left more than 1,000 people dead.

In an exceptional move, Algeria offered to open its airspace to allow eventual humanitarian aid or medical evacuation flights to travel to and from Morocco. Algeria closed the airspace when its government severed diplomatic ties with Morocco in 2021 over a series of issues. The countries have a decades-long dispute involving the territory of Western Sahara.

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune’s office said in a statement Saturday that Algeria is ready to offer humanitarian aid ”in solidarity with the brotherly Moroccan people, in case the authorities of the Moroccan kingdom express a wish for this.”

The statement also offered to reopen the airspace, and condolences for the dead and ”deepest compassion” for the injured.

Doctors without borders offers help

Doctors Without Borders, or MSF, says it is prepared to respond to the earthquake in Morocco that killed more than 1,000 people and left many more injured.

People were jolted out of bed Friday night by the magnitude-6.8 quake, a rarity in Morocco. In addition to the dead and injured, scores of structures not built to withstand such a powerful temblor crashed to the ground.

Avril Benoît, executive director of MSF-USA, said in a statement that people who live in the affected region are “key to the initial response” when searching for survivors.

“Earthquake survivors often require medical care such as surgery or dialysis, which can be a challenge when local health systems are affected by a disaster. Restoring health services and providing essential supplies also can be a priority at this stage. Our response will depend on the needs that are assessed on site.”

The dead are mostly in Marrakech and the five provinces near the quake’s epicenter, Morocco’s Interior Ministry reported Saturday morning.