Article: “Tnirte, the Berber village at the heart of despair after the earthquake”
Tnirte, a small Berber village nestled in the heart of the High Atlas, suffered the full force of the devastating consequences of an earthquake of rare intensity. Located just 80 kilometers from Marrakech, this douar was totally devastated, leaving behind deaths and ruins. Today, residents feel abandoned, waiting for help which is slow to come.
The adobe houses, fragile and ancestral, did not resist the violence of the tremors. The walls collapsed and the inhabitants were trapped, buried under the rubble. In this difficult-to-access mountainous area, the villagers had to fight for their survival, trying to save the stranded people with their own means. “We managed to get out alive, even though our houses were reduced to dust. It’s fate,” says a villager who lost several members of her family.
However, the arrival of aid is slow to materialize, leaving a feeling of abandonment and helplessness hanging over the village. Despite the efforts of volunteers in the region, local authorities remained absent, leaving residents to fend for themselves. The makeshift camps, where survivors found refuge, became their only source of comfort and support.
It was only after 48 hours that civil protection teams were able to access the village, accompanied by Spanish rescuers. Rescue operations made it possible to find a few survivors, but the toll was heavy: more than 60 dead, including a little girl found under the rubble.
Faced with this tragedy, will Tnirte one day recover? Residents hope for better days, but reconstruction promises to be long and difficult. They will need everyone’s support to recover from this disaster and regain some semblance of normality.
This article aims to draw attention to the critical situation in Tnirte and raise awareness of the urgent needs of this Berber village. Fundraising or solidarity actions could be considered to provide concrete help to residents in their reconstruction process.