The lethal negligence of politicians in Morocco and Libya
After both disasters, authorities spurned offers of help and left victims to suffer
FIRST the ground shook; then the skies opened. Just before midnight on September 8th an earthquake struck Morocco with a magnitude of 6.8, the strongest there in more than a century. The shallow epicentre was south-west of Marrakesh, under the Atlas mountains, a soaring range that bisects the country. Hilltop villages were reduced to heaps of rubble. At least 2,900 people were killed.
This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “Earth and water”
Middle East & Africa September 16th 2023
From the September 16th 2023 edition
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