International News
Morocco Quake Death Toll Rises To 2,122
Using heavy equipment and even their bare hands, rescuers in Morocco on Sunday stepped up efforts to find survivors of a devastating earthquake that killed more than 2,100 people and flattened villages.
The first foreign rescuers flew in to help after the North African country’s strongest-ever quake killed at least 2,122 people and injured more than 2,400, many seriously, according to official figures updated late on Sunday.
Friday’s 6.8-magnitude quake struck 72 kilometres (45 miles) southwest of the tourist hub of Marrakesh, wiping out entire villages in the hills of the Atlas mountains.
On Sunday an aftershock of magnitude 4.5 rattled already-traumatised residents in the same region.
The mountain village of Tafeghaghte, 60 kilometres from Marrakesh, was almost entirely destroyed, an AFP team reported, with very few buildings still standing.
Amid the debris, civilian rescuers and members of Morocco’s armed forces searched for survivors and the bodies of the dead.
AFP saw them recover one body from the ruins of a house. Four others were still buried there, residents said.
“Everyone is gone! My heart is broken. I am inconsolable,” cried Zahra Benbrik, 62, who said she had lost 18 relatives, with only the body of her brother still trapped.
“I want them to hurry and get him out so I can mourn in peace,” she said.
Many houses in remote mountain villages were built from mud bricks.
In the village of Amizmiz, near Tafeghaghte, a backhoe dragged away the heaviest pieces of rubble before rescuers dug into the dusty debris with their bare hands to remove a body that appeared to be under a quilt.
– The crucial hours –
The two villages lie in Al-Haouz province, site of the epicentre, which suffered the most deaths, 1,351, authorities reported.
According to Moroccan public television, “more than 18,000 families have been affected” by the quake in Al-Haouz.
Citizens on Sunday rushed to hospitals in Marrakesh to donate blood to help the injured.
Spain’s defence ministry said an A400 airlifter took off from Zaragoza with 56 rescuers and four search dogs headed for Marrakesh to “help in the search and rescue of survivors”.
“We will send whatever is needed because everyone knows that these first hours are key, especially if there are people buried under rubble,” Defence Minister Margarita Robles told Spanish public television.
Many residents of the usually bustling tourist hotspot of Marrakesh spent a second night sleeping on the streets, huddled together under blankets and among bags filled with their belongings.
One of them, Fatema Satir, said many stayed outside for fear of their houses collapsing.
“There is no help for us,” Satir said. “Our houses have been cracked, others destroyed — like my daughter’s house which was wiped out. We are in a chaotic state.”
In the city’s historic Jemaa el-Fna square, about 20 people were huddled on the ground, wrapped in blankets, while others stayed on the lawn of the nearby town hall, its 12th-century ramparts partially collapsed.
The kingdom declared three days of national mourning, and a prayer for the quake victims was to be held Sunday in all of the kingdom’s mosques.
Morocco’s interior ministry said on Saturday evening that authorities are “mobilised to speed up rescue operations and evacuate the injured.”
In addition to Spain, several countries offered aid.
French President Emmanuel Macron said his country has mobilised “all technical and security teams to be able to intervene, when the Moroccan authorities deem it useful.”
Macron, along with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the heads of the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, African Union and European Commission, also pledged, in a joint statement, to “mobilise our technical and financial tools and assistance” to help the people of Morocco.
– Long recovery ahead –
The United States said it also had search-and-rescue teams ready to deploy, and Pope Francis on Sunday again expressed support for those affected by the disaster.
“I thank the rescuers and all those who are working to alleviate the suffering of the people,” he said from the Vatican window above St Peter’s Square.
Algeria, which has long had tense relations with neighbouring Morocco, opened its airspace, which had been closed for two years, to flights carrying humanitarian aid and evacuating the injured.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose country in 2020 established ties with Morocco, offered to send search-and-rescue teams, declaring that “Israel stands by Morocco in its difficult time”.
The Red Cross warned that it could take years to repair the damage.
“It won’t be a matter of a week or two… We are counting on a response that will take months, if not years,” said Hossam Elsharkawi, its Middle East and North Africa director.
The quake was the deadliest in Morocco since a 1960 earthquake destroyed Agadir and killed more than 12,000 people.
AFP
Relegated Burnley and West Ham will meet on the opening weekend of the Championship season on Sunday, 16 August.
The Clarets finished 19th in the top flight last season and will host the Hammers, who went down on the final day.
Fellow relegated side Wolves will play the league’s curtain-raiser against Blackburn at Molineux on Friday, 14 August.
Elsewhere, Southampton, who will start the season on minus four points after the Spygate scandal, travel to Watford on the opening weekend and promoted Cardiff welcome Welsh rivals Wrexham on Monday, 17 August.
League One champions Lincoln start the season at beaten play-off finalists Middlesbrough on Saturday, 15 August and third tier play-off final winners Bolton begin the campaign with a home game against Preston on the same day.
The Championship season starts a week after clubs play their first competitive fixture in the first round of the Carabao Cup and one week before the Premier League gets under way.
Burnley, West Ham and Wolves will all be looking to secure Premier League promotions at the first time of asking.
The Clarets have now been relegated from or promoted to the top flight in each of the past four seasons.
However, now less than two months out from the start of the season they remain without a manager following the departure of Scott Parker in May.
West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo has remained despite them dropping out of the top flight after 14 seasons.
The Portuguese led Wolves to the Championship title in his one previous season managing at this level in 2017-18.
Wolves finished bottom of the Premier League in 2025-26 and sacked boss Rob Edwards earlier this month to bring in Cesar Peixoto.
They have bolstered their squad with former England defender Kieran Trippier and returning Mexico striker Raul Jimenez.
However, all three will be aware that in both of the past two seasons a team relegated from the top tier has suffered a second successive demotion to League One.
Former Premier League champions Leicester City went the same way as Luton Town had in 2024-25.
Getafe president Angel Torres has confirmed that the club is open to selling Nigerian midfielder Christantus Uche this summer.
The 23-year-old attacking midfielder spent last season on loan at Premier League side Crystal Palace but failed to convince the Eagles to make the move permanent.
Uche featured in just 14 Premier League matches without registering a goal or assist, though he impressed in the UEFA Europa Conference League with two goals in four appearances.
Uche is set to return to Getafe at the end of June when his loan deal expires. However, Torres has made it clear that the club will not stand in his way if a suitable offer arrives.
“Uche has a contract with Palace until the 30th, so we can’t do anything
“He doesn’t mind coming back, and the coach wants him. If there’s an offer and we agree on it, we’ll sell him,” Torres told spherasports.com.
The Getafe president added that while the club is happy to keep Uche and the coach values him, they remain open to a sale if the right financial proposal comes in.
Uche’s future remains uncertain as several clubs are expected to monitor his situation once he returns to Spain.
Meanwhile, Real Betis and Everton have been credited with an interest in Uche. Especially, Everton, who are desperate to add creative talents to the side.
Uche may not have produced consistently while at Palace, but it is clear he has sufficient talent to thrive at a top club, provided the opportunities are available to him.
Iran left a message saying “may peace, respect and friendship prevail among all nations” following their World Cup group match against Belgium at Los Angeles Stadium.
The handwritten note was left in their dressing room following a goalless draw in their second Group G game.
Iran are competing at the World Cup while their country and the United States – who are co-hosts along with Canada and Mexico – are in negotiations to end their war.
“From the ancient Persia of thousands of years ago to the civilised Iran of today, the spirit of Iran remains alive and steadfast,” read the message, which was released by the Football Federation of Iran (FFIRI).
“We came to Los Angeles with pride, competed with honour, and leave with dignity,” the note continued.
“Thank you Los Angeles for your hospitality.
“And thank you to every Iranian who gave their heart, voice and soul for Iran throughout these 180 minutes.
“May peace, respect and friendship prevail among all nations.”
The message also made reference to an attack on a girls’ school in Minab, where at least 168 people were killed on the first day of the war.
Iran played their opening match – a 2-2 draw with New Zealand – at Los Angeles Stadium, and will play their third and final group game against Egypt in Seattle on 27 June (04:00 BST).
Their involvement in the World Cup has been plagued with uncertainty, linked to the war in the Middle East and related security concerns.
Multiple “integral” members of their backroom staff were denied entry visas for the US while the FFIRI called on Fifa to “uphold the principles of neutrality, fairness, and established regulations” after its allocation of tickets was revoked on the eve of the tournament.
Iran subsequently switched their base for the World Cup from Arizona in the US to Tijuana in Mexico, and face strict travel restrictions during their campaign.
They are allowed to fly into the US a day before they have a game and have to leave the country on the same day as the match, under the conditions of their visas.
This led to Iran head coach Amir Ghalenoei saying they are the “most oppressed” team at the tournament following the draw with New Zealand.
However, Andrew Giuliani, the executive director of the White House’s World Cup taskforce, says there are “discussions going on” about the timings for Iran’s travel to and from their game against Egypt.
– BBC
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