Ryan Gray with rescue dog Max
A search and rescue team from Northern Ireland is getting ready to travel to Morocco following an earthquake which has killed hundreds of people.
The 6.8 magnitude quake struck central Morocco killing at least 820 people and causing damage in several areas.
The epicentre was in the High Atlas Mountains, 71km (44 miles) south-west of Marrakesh.
K9 Search and Rescue is an all-volunteer team based in County Down.
It specialises in providing searches for coastal, urban, rural and disaster response.
The team’s Ryan Gray said it had been “a very busy morning” since being alerted about the earthquake.
“All the international search and rescue teams that may be offering their assistance will be putting on their availability and what equipment they can bring,” Mr Gray said.
“We’ve already done that. We’ve already reached out to the Moroccan embassy to offer our assistance.
“They have our details and they know we’re ready to go, really at a moment’s notice now.”
He said the team had been put on standby very early on Saturday morning
“Those that have been trained in this sort of environment, earthquakes, they will be potentially reaching out to their employers to see if they can get time off work to go,” he said
“They’ll be preparing their kit, those who can take their dogs will be preparing their dogs.”
Mr Gray said his dog Max “absolutely knows” something is happening.
“They’re very intelligent,” he said.
“I don’t think he knows where he’s going, he’s not monitoring the laptops, or he’s not interested in me booking the flights, but he definitely knows something’s happening.”
The volunteers and their dogs were instrumental in the rescue of a woman in the town of Kahramanmaras.
The team is also involved in searches for missing people north and south of the Irish border.
Families trapped
The Moroccan interior ministry has said the earthquake killed people in the provinces and municipalities of al-Haouz, Marrakesh, Ouarzazate, Azilal, Chichaoua and Taroudant,.
Many people spent the night out in the open as the Moroccan government had warned them not to go back into their homes in case of severe aftershocks.
Hospitals in Marrakesh have seen an influx of injured people, and the authorities have called on residents to donate blood.
Image source, Reuters
Debris in the aftermath of the earthquake in Marrakech
There are also reports of families trapped under the rubble of their homes in the city, and damage to parts of the Medina, a Unesco World heritage Site.
Some buildings have collapsed, one resident told the Reuters news agency. Several clips on X show buildings crashing down, but the BBC has not identified where they were.
Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs said it was closely monitoring the situation in Morocco.
“All Irish citizens in the affected areas are asked to follow safety instructions from local authorities and monitor local media,” it said.
“If urgent, the Embassy of Ireland in Rabat, Morocco can be contacted in-country on +212 6 66 933 599. Any concerned family members in Ireland can contact the Department of Foreign Affairs at 01 408 2000.”
UK Foreign Minister James Cleverly tweeted: “The UK is continuing to support British nationals in the region.
“We stand ready to help our Moroccan friends in whatever way we can.
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