The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mélanie Joly, asks Canadians currently in Morocco to register with Global Affairs Canada, in the wake of the major earthquake which caused more than 2,000 victims in this country late Friday night.
In a publication sent to X on Saturday morning, Minister Joly offered her thoughts to all those affected by the earthquake in Morocco.
She asked all Canadians currently in the North African country to register with Global Affairs Canada. People who need immediate assistance should contact the Emergency Monitoring and Response Center for consular assistance.
For its part, Global Affairs Canada indicated that it was working on an update of the number of Canadians who were in Morocco at the time of the disaster.
This earthquake of rare intensity in the region left more than 2,000 dead and around 2,000 injured, but the toll is expected to continue to rise as search and rescue operations continue.
“My heart goes out to the people of Morocco following the devastating earthquake that occurred yesterday (Friday). Canadians offer our deepest condolences to those who have lost loved ones and think of all those who have been affected. We are ready to help in any way possible,” assured Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on X on Saturday.
“All my thoughts are with the Moroccan people. Marrakech, Rabat, Casablanca, Agadir, Essaouira, all magnificent cities that I visited,” wrote Prime Minister François Legault on the same social network Friday evening.
More than 81,000 Quebec residents identified themselves as Moroccan in 2021, according to the census conducted by the federal government. About 37,000 of them lived in Montreal.
“The images reaching us from Morocco, after the country was hit by an earthquake, break our hearts,” wrote Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante. This evening (Friday), an entire community is upset. I have a thought for the Montreal population of Moroccan origin. We are with you. »
Abdelhaq Sari, a Moroccan municipal councilor in Montreal, also offered his thoughts to Moroccans in the affected regions.
In a telephone interview with The Canadian Press, he noted that while he has been able to verify that his family members are safe, community members have had difficulty obtaining information in rural areas of the country .
“What I know about the tragedy is that in urban areas, we can communicate, we can have information,” he explained. But when we go to rural areas, it is very difficult. »
Mr. Sari calls on Canada to come to the aid of Morocco.
“Morocco is a friend of Canada,” he recalled. If we can help it will be very very appreciated. »
This 6.8 magnitude earthquake is the largest to hit the North African country in 120 years.
