Frustration and anger grow amid slow earthquake rescue operations in Morocco

Amna Nawaz:

The aftershocks of the deadly earthquake that hit Morocco Friday night continued today, as the death toll approached 3,000. That number is expected to rise further, along with the number of injured.

Geoff Bennett:

The rescue and recovery operations continue tonight, but at a slow pace. And that's a source of frustration and anger for many Moroccans, who say their government is not doing enough.

Special correspondent Alex Cadier reports from Marrakesh.

Alex Cadier:

For a second night since the quake, crowds of displaced people crammed into the streets of Tinsmiths Square in Marrakesh, left homeless by the 6.8-magnitude tremor, the worst since 1960, and with only blankets to keep them warm. Survivors waited out aftershocks for aid to arrive.

Yahya Elma, Earthquake Survivor:

We need the help, because every family here don't have the house. Every house here is broken.

Alex Cadier:

By morning, the scope of damage now in plain view. Narrow alleyways in the Medina, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, reduced to rubble, old ornate rooftops now crumbled.

The earthquake's epicenter was just south of Marrakesh in the remote province of Al Haouz. Towns nestled deep in the Atlas Mountains, with homes built mostly from mud bricks, completely collapsed.

Hamid Ben Henna recalled the terrible moment the quake struck, destroying his home and killing his son, just 8 years old.

Hamid Ben Henna, Earthquake Survivor (through interpreter):

We were having dinner. I asked my son to bring a knife from the kitchen to cut dessert. He didn't bring it because, as soon as he left the kitchen, the earthquake struck. He ran here, where you can see rubble. He was buried in two meters of rubble.

Alex Cadier:

For these villagers, rescue efforts are agonizingly slow. Access roads blocked by landslides make the task of reaching these already remote areas even more daunting.

With no heavy equipment, some took matters into their own hands. Mohamed Ouchen described how he rescued his sister immediately after the quake.

Mohamed Ouchen, Earthquake Survivor (through interpreter):

We did not have tools, so we used our hands. Her head was visible, so we kept digging by hand.

Alex Cadier:

Many locals have been moved to small tent encampments nearby.

Mohamed Ait Bourhim, Earthquake Survivor (through interpreter):

Now we need tents for people to stay in. We need shelters for women and children, because people are sleeping outdoors.

Alex Cadier:

Entire families sleeping rough, fearing aftershocks and worried about their uncertain future.

Over the past few days, rescuers have raced into the hardest-hit areas to help, at times pulling bodies from underneath mounds of broken bricks, and meticulously listening for signs of life buried in the rubble.

But with many still in need of aid, some have criticized Morocco's response to this historic disaster. Today, Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch vowed to compensate those affected by the earthquake. But the government has refused to accept foreign aid from all but four countries, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and Spain.

Moroccan officials hoped the strategy would avoid a — quote — "counterproductive lack of coordination." Crews have finally made it to some remote villages after painstaking delays.

Antonio Nogales, Spanish Rescue Worker (through interpreter):

It is very remote, and it took us about eight hours to get here. There were no rescue groups, and we arrived with the police. The destruction is absolute. All the buildings have collapsed.

Alex Cadier:

As aid trickles in, the official death toll is expected to rise, and the extent of destruction clearer.

For now, survivors have no choice but to wait as they grapple with what they have lost.

Yassin Noumghar, Earthquake Survivor (through interpreter):

Everything is gone. We lost everything. We lost the entire house. There are no officials visiting us. There's no help or aid. This is the will of God.

Alex Cadier:

For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Alex Cadier in Marrakesh, Morocco.