The horror that has left the earthquake that shook Morocco this weekend, is even more acute in several villages that, 48 hours later, remain isolated in the area near the epicenter of the earthquake. The collapse of its roads and its location in the mountains make it difficult for residents to access medical care and basic help.

This is the case, for example, of 17 mountain villages in the Imgdal region, about 77 kilometers south of Marrakech and about 50 kilometers from the epicenter of the earthquake. About twenty of its inhabitants had to cross a distance of 13 kilometers between the arid mountains on foot to the main road, where this Sunday they gathered to report their situation near the town of Imidel, where the intersection that leads to their homes is.

These are villages like Anamir, Tiguirst, Taghzut and Taurirt, which according to these neighbors are totally isolated. In this last population a woman gave birth outdoors without the possibility of transferring her to a hospitalOmar Ait Said, from Taurirt, explained to EFE: “She gave birth on the street on a piece of plastic.”

13 kilometers walking to ask for help

Ait Said denounced that the inhabitants of isolated villages were not able to transport those injured in the earthquake to be treated by a doctor and cited the case of his father, who suffered head injuries but could not be transferred to a medical point.

He explained that four people died in Taurirt and were rescued from under the rubble by their neighbors who buried them later. His only demand, he added, is that the authorities open the road to allow residents to receive aid. “The local officials who have to find a solution have closed their phones, but before doing so they promised to send us an excavator, but we are still waiting. We are forgotten, it is as if we do not exist on the map and not as if we have not suffered damage or losses “he added.

Next to the villagers, a van with blankets and food was waiting at the crossroads of the road, which could not continue on its way to their villages due to the interruption of the road.

One of the villagers is Rachid Ait Mbarek, from Anamir where two hundred inhabitants live. He demanded that the authorities open the road and give them tents. “We carry the help that people bring us on our shoulders,” he said.

The main road that connects these villages with Marrakech was also cut off by the stone collapses from the slopes. After thirteen hours of work, the Moroccan military managed to open it this Sunday, and help is already arriving in other badly affected towns such as Talat N’Yaaqoub, where they are still removing bodies from the rubble.

The sections of this road are one-way and prevent fluid circulation. The road continues to suffer landslides, causing sporadic outages that affect the activity of medical and rescue teams.

“Some don’t want to leave, others don’t know where to go”

In the middle of the Atlas Mountains, there are few structures that have remained standing after the Moroccan earthquake. From Ouirgane, laSexta journalist Olga Peña He tells us how access for rescue teams is “quite complicated”, since it is a town “very far from Marrakech”, the nearest main city. “Yes, teams have started to arrive, but there is still a lot of work to do,” he explains from the field.

Some of the residents have built small shanties in the surrounding area. “They tell us that they are not leaving here, because it is their home. Others don’t know where to go,” explains Olga Peña. “The only thing they have has come to nothing,” she adds. In this area, supplies are generally scarce. There is little water, little coverage, little light. “The trucks are arriving loaded with food and drinks to survive.”

Late on Friday, Morocco suffered an earthquake that hit several provinces in the south of Morocco, causing until the last official count a few hours ago a balance of more than 2,000 people dead and more than 2,000 injured.