Earthquake Death Toll Tops 2K

Rescue efforts in Morocco became more frantic on Saturday night, as crews rushed to hard-to-reach mountain villages almost 24 hours after a major earthquake struck. The death toll from the region's strongest earthquake in more than a century surpassed 2,000, the AP reports. The government reported that at least another 1,400 people were critically injured. "It felt like a plane fell on me," said a man on outskirts of Marrakech, per the New York Times. Eyewitnesses near the epicenter of the 6.8-magnitude earthquake in the Atlas Mountains said there is "destruction everywhere." Developments include:

• Aftershock fears: Some families are camping out until the danger passes, after the government issued a warning. "Everyone is panicking," Rachida Bouanani, a teacher in Marrakech, told the Washington Post by phone. "Local authorities have asked people to evacuate their homes. My neighbors have taken out their money and gold and are asking each other's forgiveness, they're saying goodbye."
• Slow reaction: As of Saturday evening, neither King Mohammed VI nor Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch had spoken to the nation. Almost 20 hours after the earthquake, the palace issued a statement saying the king had chaired an emergency meeting of military officials and cabinet members. He ordered the Moroccan government to provide shelter quickly and rebuild houses for those needing help, his office said, "particularly orphans and the vulnerable."
• International help: Nations around the world, including France, Turkey, Israel, and the US, immediately offered assistance, per the AP. But international rescue teams said they were still waiting for authorization from local authorities to go to work.
• Access difficulties: A helicopter flight is the only way to reach some of the remote areas damaged. Many roads are blocked by rubble, and it's difficult to get the heavy machinery needed to clear them into mountainous areas. A rescue official said communication, electrical, and water lines are out of commission. "So there's a lot of confusion and a lot of chaos at this moment," said Caroline Holt of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
• The losses: "I barely got the chance to grab the kids and run out before I saw my house collapsing in front of my eyes," a woman in the foothills village of Asni said, per CNN. "There is no one here to help pull the dead from under the destruction," she added. Another woman told state television: "My husband and four children died. Mustapha, Hassan, Ilhem, Ghizlaine, Ilyes. Everything I had is gone. I am all alone."

(More Morocco stories.)