‘Teeth shaking in your head’: Massive earthquake hits Morocco

(NewsNation) — As the death toll from the Morocco earthquake crosses 2,000, one resident of Marrakech says the damage in the mountains looks very different from the city.

“In the city, thank God, most of the damage is structural or just property. But in the mountain areas, outside of the city, it’s a lot, it’s a different story. And a lot of our friends and colleagues up there have reported things are much much worse,” said Marrakech resident Amanda Ponzio Mouttaki.

Mouttaki joins “NewsNation Prime” to share her experience of the earthquake, saying at first, she had “no idea” what was happening.

“I thought that maybe it was a plane crashing, because all of a sudden, the house started shaking, a little slowly at first, and then it just really picked up intensity, like so much that your teeth are shaking in your head. And then we realized that it was not a plane and grabbed our 5-year-old son and just ran down the steps as fast as we could,” Mouttaki said.

More than 2,000 people were killed in the earthquake and the toll is expected to rise as rescuers struggle to reach hard-hit remote areas.

Remote villages like those in the drought-stricken Ouargane Valley were largely cut off from the world when they lost electricity and cellphone service. By midday, people were outside mourning neighbors, surveying the damage on their camera phones and telling one another “May God save us.”

“It’s kind of surreal because it’s such a major thing that’s happened and then people still have to carry on into their normal life,” Mouttaki said.

Mouttaki tells NewsNation some residents, afraid to return home, are sleeping outside.

“People are terrified, right? People are sleeping outside tonight, they won’t go home, they’ve stayed outside all day, and they won’t go back into their houses,” she said.

The magnitude 6.8 quake, the biggest to hit the North African country in 120 years, sent people fleeing their homes in terror and disbelief late Friday. One man said dishes and wall hangings began raining down, and people were knocked off their feet. The quake brought down walls made from stone and masonry, covering whole communities with rubble.

“Any support that people can offer, even if it’s just encouragement is really meaningful,” Mouttaki said. “Don’t keep us out of your mind because people will be ready to welcome you back, you know, as soon as we’re able.”