Rescue efforts continued in Morocco on Wednesday, as clearing blocked, rugged pathways to reach the isolated towns remained a challenge following a powerful earthquake that struck five days ago.
The 6.8-magnitude quake that hit the kingdom on Friday triggered rockslides, blocking roads and making it hard for rescue teams to reach the mountainous areas in the North African country hit by the tremor.
However, the last point that cars were able to reach are the towns of Ijjoukak and Talat N’Yaaqoub, two of the mountain villages hit by the earthquake in the province of Al-Haouz, the epicentre of the quake.
Efforts to remove rocks and dust from roads have been slow for fear of potential rockslides.
Roads cleared by authorities are very narrow, and would not allow two cars to pass in different directions.
Military aircraft were used to deliver blankets and aid to the remote mountain areas that could not be reached by cars.
More than 2,900 people were killed and 5,530 people were injured.
The United Nations estimates that more than 300,000 people have been affected in Marrakesh and in the High Atlas Mountains.