Family caught up in 'terrifying' Morocco earthquake just hours after arriving in country
09.09.2023 - 21:09
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
A holidaymaker has described the 'petrifying' moment she and her family were caught up in the Moroccan earthquake just hours after landing.
Lauren Jones had just arrived at their hotel in Marrakesh with her mother, Sue, and eight-year-old daughter, Daisy, when the magnitude 6.8 quake struck on Friday night.
The earthquake has caused widespread devastation across the country and has left more than 1,000 dead and 1,200 injured.
Lauren, 35, and her family flew from Manchester Airport and landedat around 9:30pm - with the earthquake hitting just after 11pm. They had just checked in and were going to a restaurant when they felt the ground shaking causing them to panic.
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Speaking to the MEN she said: "I can only describe it as it was like walking on a water bed. The floor was wobbling. My daughter gripped me and her nan and she was crying, petrified. My mum and I looked at each other wide eyed but trying to keep it together to not scare my daughter further.
"No buildings fell down, but the walls inside the buildings are cracked and debris on the floor."
Lauren said the family spent Friday night sleeping outside after she said the government had urged residents to make sure they remained outdoors.
Lauren, from North Wales, said the hotel has been cleared to return to by a TUI holiday rep and hotel staff - but she said she does not feel safe to return after seeing the damage caused to the building. She told the MEN: "I’ve asked where I can go to have somewhere safe to sleep tonight.
"The earliest they can fly us home is Monday, and they suggested I find somewhere I feel safe, and stay there which when you’re in a foreign