Belgium pledges aid for Morocco quake victims

24 February 2004

BRUSSELS – Belgian Foreign Minister Louis Michel has promised that his country would do all it can to help the victims of the earthquake that struck Morocco early on Tuesday morning.

In a letter to his Moroccan counterpart, Michel sent his condolences to the families of all the earthquake victims and said Belgium was ready to send rescue workers to the scene of the disaster “if the local authorities so desire”.

As Expatica was updated the death toll from the Moroccan quake stood at 226, although experts said that figure was a provisional total.

A further 120 people are known to have been injured in the quake, which hit the Al Hoceima province in north-eastern Morocco at around 3.30am.

The quake measured 6.3 on the Richter scale. Rescue workers have already arrived at the disaster zone to help the victims.

Around a quarter of a million Moroccans live in Belgium.

Subject: Belgian news