Morocco earthquake: Passionate relief, rescue responses pour in from world over

The powerful earthquake that slammed Morocco late on Friday, killing hundreds and demolishing structures, prompted the following responses and relief pledges from countries across the world.

Turkey

The Turkish Foreign Ministry said Ankara was ready to provide all kinds of support "to heal the wounds of the earthquake in Morocco".

France

"France ... is ready to provide immediately its help for the rescue and assistance to the populations affected by this tragedy," the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Valerie Pecresse, president of the Paris region, said on X it was offering 500,000 euros ($535,000)in aid for Morocco.

Benoit Payan, the mayor of Marseille, said firemen will be sent to help rescue crews in Morocco, adding that Marrakech is Marseille's "sister city".

Spain

"The Spain military emergency unit and our embassy and consulates are at the disposal of Morocco," Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said at the G20 meeting in New Delhi.

Antonio Nogales, president of Spain's Firefighters Without Frontiers, told RTVE Spanish television: "We are in contact with the Moroccan authorities and we are ready to go and help." The organisation was involved in helping find survivors of the earthquake in Turkey in February.

Israel

Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said “Israel is extending its hand to Morocco in this difficult time that it is experiencing, and as soon as we learned of the news of the earthquake that struck Morocco, we immediately offered its government to provide humanitarian aid and contribute to rescuing the victims". The ministry said this in a post on X, originally in Arabic.

Tunisia

The Tunisian presidency said President Kais Saied had "authorised coordination with the Moroccan authorities to direct urgent aid and send civil protection teams to support the Kingdom’s search and rescue efforts. He also authorised the facilitation of a delegation from the Tunisian Red Crescent to contribute to relief operations and surround the injured."

Romania

Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said "the Romanian authorities are in close contact with the Moroccan authorities and ready to offer assistance".

Taiwan

Taiwan’s fire department said it had put a team of 120 rescuers on standby to go to Morocco who can go the moment they get instructions from Taiwan’s foreign ministry.

Assistance to foreign nationals:

France

The French Foreign Ministry said its embassy in Morocco and the ministry in Paris have opened crisis centers "to respond to demands for information or help from our compatriots."

Germany

The German embassy in Rabat has set up an emergency number for Germans affected by the earthquake and is in close contact with local authorities, a German foreign ministry spokesperson said, without providing further details.

Israel

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was identifying the locations of its citizens now present in Morocco, "communicating with them and checking on them."

Russia

"The Russian Embassy in Rabat and the Consulate General in Casablanca are in constant contact with the Moroccan authorities. According to our diplomats, there are no Russian citizens among the victims of the earthquake," Russia's foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement.