Spain will send aid and rescuers to Morocco after an earthquake

After receiving a formal request for assistance from Rabat, Spain would deploy search and rescue teams and other supplies to earthquake-stricken Morocco, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said on Sunday.

“It is a sign of Spanish solidarity and of the sense of friendship which unites the people of Spain with the people of Morocco,” he said in an interview with Catalunya Radio, adding that he had received a call from his Moroccan colleague asking for the assistance early on Sunday.

“It will be as much assistance as Morocco needs. At this time, we are putting search and rescue teams into action because it is important to attempt to save as many people as possible. Spanish assistance will be available when it’s time for rebuilding.

However, an interior ministry spokesperson said the government was ready to “immediately” dispatch 65 troops of Spain’s Military Emergencies Unit (UME) to Morocco to assist in the search and rescue effort. Albares did not give any other information.

The UME is a branch of the armed forces that was established to act swiftly in emergencies like earthquakes, floods, and forest fires. According to Spain’s defense ministry, a UME team was sent to Turkey in February after a catastrophic earthquake and assisted in the rescue of six persons, including a mother and two children.

According to the most recent official statistics, the biggest earthquake to ever strike Morocco has left at least 2,012 people dead and over 2,059 wounded, many of them seriously.