(MARAKECH, Morocco) — The death toll has continued to climb in the wake of the rare and powerful 6.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Morocco Friday night.
More than 2,900 people are confirmed dead.
The quake, Morocco’s strongest in more than a century, hit the country’s High Atlas Mountain range near Marrakech.
Latest headlines:
-Death toll rises to 2,901
-Rescuers reach epicenter
-Biden offers ‘necessary assistance’ to devastated Morocco
-Algeria offers to open its airspace to Morocco following deadly quake
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Sep 12, 9:02 AM EDT
Death toll rises to 2,901
The death toll from the devastating earthquake has increased to 2,901.
Another 5,530 people are injured.
Sep 11, 3:40 PM EDT
Moroccan government still not accepting US support
State Department spokesperson Matt Miller confirmed Monday that the Moroccan government has still not taken the United States up on its offer to provide support in its earthquake relief despite direct outreach from Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Blinken spoke with Morocco’s foreign minister this weekend and expressed his condolences, Miller said.
“They also discussed how the United States can best support the government of Morocco’s leadership of the humanitarian response to the tragedy, and the secretary and the foreign minister pledged to stay in close contact as the response efforts continue,” Miller said.
Asked whether the U.S. was providing any direct aid at the moment, Miller said, “We have made the offer for assistance and are in close consultations with the Moroccan government about how we can best provide that assistance.”
ABC News’ Shannon Crawford
Sep 11, 3:25 PM EDT
Death toll climbs to 2,862
The death toll from the devastating earthquake now stands at 2,862.
Another 2,562 people are injured.
For the first time on Monday, ambulances and aid teams in trucks reached Ighil, the mountainous area where the earthquake’s epicenter was located, according to state TV.
Emergency teams worked to clear rockfalls blocking rocks to over a dozen remote villages in the area, and members of the armed forces walked on foot along rugged roads to provide aid, state TV reported.
Rescue teams searched for missing victims under the rubble in the devastated Talat N’Yaaqoub village in the Atlas Mountains, which was almost entirely flattened.
TV footage showed rescuers pulling a newborn baby out from under the rubble.
TV footage also showed military helicopters dropping aid packages from the air into hard-to-reach areas.
Morocco’s central bank has created a special account to receive donations from around the world.
ABC News’ Ayat Al-Tawy
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