'Pray for us': Remote mountain villages struggle to cope

Brahim Boudad spent six nervous hours on Friday night. 

His family were in Amizmiz, a small Moroccan town at the base of the High Atlas, while he was some 55km away in Marrakech, when the devastating earthquake hit. 

"My family were trapped inside," Boudad told Middle East Eye. "I was waiting [for news] until 1 am. Then my father called me, it made me so happy."

Boudad's family were among the lucky ones. In the small town, at least 25 people are estimated to have died, one resident said. Many houses were flattened. 

Amizmiz, home to some 20,000 people, is located in Al Haouz province, the epicentre of the earthquake and the hardest-hit region.

After a day of horrors on Saturday, the evening brought an uneasy pause. Residents had spent the day looking for survivors using basic tools, as outside help was slow to arrive. People with harrowing experiences gathered in open spaces, with little movements on the streets.

Read more: Remote and isolated, mountain villages struggle to cope after devastating quake