Casablanca- The earthquake that took place in Agadir in 1960 was the deadliest in Morocco’s history, as around 12,000 were killed.
Moroccan press recently recalled the tragedy of Agadir on the anniversary of one of the most devastating natural disaster in the history of the Kingdom.
Daily Al Akhbar casts light on the tragic memory that still haunts many Moroccans today. Many Moroccans lost their lives, and others became homeless, orphans or physically disabled.
According to Al Massae, many Moroccans had to travel outside Morocco to benefit from special medical treatments because of their severe psychological shock.
Ironically, the tragedy was a celebration for other people. While many Moroccans were mourning their dead relatives and material losses, others seized the opportunity to search for any precious properties they could find in the ruins.
Gangs were formed, and their principal mission was to look for and find other people’s valuable belongings to resell them in other cities. Those people were unmindful of the victims they run across, who were in urgent need for their help.
Others became even wealthier after the tragedy by constructing large-scale businesses on the ruins of demolished homes. To illustrate this, Al Akhbar tells the story of a poor Moroccan carrier who became a wealthy man after Agadir’s earthquake.
Al Massae highlights how Agadir’s tragedy was “the break” for other people who exploited the devastating earthquake’s unethically and inhumanly to become wealthy or to double their fortune.
The daily newspaper tells the story of a night guard who became the director of a company after he had come across the ruins of Bank Al-Maghrib, a gold mine from which he fully profited.
After that, the night guard vanished to make his family believe that he was dead, only to reappear later as a wealthy businessman.
Al Massae also recalls the story of the nurses who inhumanly robbed their vulnerable patients instead of taking care of them.