On Sunday, Qatar‘s Minister of Interior, Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad, announced the departure of a relief aid aircraft destined for Morocco to assist earthquake victims.
The Qatari Minister of Interior took to Twitter and wrote, “In compliance with the directives of His Highness the Beneficent Prince and in the spirit of brotherhood, the search and rescue team of “Lakhwiya” has left the homeland, heading under God’s protection to our dear brother, Morocco.”
He further stated that this initiative aims to contribute to search and rescue operations and the urgent distribution of relief aid to alleviate the suffering of the quake victims.
The earthquake, which struck on Friday night into Saturday, measured 7.0 on the Richter scale, according to the Moroccan Center for Scientific Research and Technology (or 6.8 according to the United States Geological Survey), making it the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Morocco.
The Interior Ministry announced on Saturday evening that the earthquake resulted in the loss of 2,012 lives and the injury of 2,059 individuals, including 1,404 in critical condition.