Six volunteers from the Light Intervention and Rescue Unit are trying to find survivors in the rubble of the village of Ouirgane. They are among the rare French people on site, in the absence of an agreement between Paris and Rabat on the aid to be provided.
In the middle of the rubble of the village of Ouirgane, in the Moroccan High Atlas, Rantcho, a three-year-old Malinois, frantically chews a small sausage of fabric. “It’s his reward because he worked well,” explains Patrick Villardry, president of the Light Intervention and Rescue Unit (Ulis). Monday September 11, the former firefighter and five other French volunteers, accompanied by their four dogs, are desperately looking for survivors of the earthquake that hit Morocco. Since their arrival the day before, in the village, seven lifeless bodies have been extracted from the debris, but no living person has been found.
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In this mountainous area, where the tremors caused several hundred deaths, dogs are the most precious allies of local rescuers. “They make it possible to precisely mark the presence of a person or a body”, explains Patrick Villardry, giving a large swig of fresh water into his dog’s mouth. Welcome support locally, but which finds itself in the middle of a diplomatic imbroglio between France and Morocco.
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Two days after the earthquake, Sunday September 10, the Moroccan authorities announced that they were accepting aid from four countries: Spain, the United Kingdom, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Earlier in the day, Emmanuel Macron had nevertheless affirmed that France was ready to “to intervene” to help Morocco. But the French army planes, like most French NGOs, remained stuck in France, waiting for the green light from Rabat.
An intervention without a green light from the authorities
The volunteers of the Light Intervention and Rescue Unit (Ulis) did not bother with these political considerations. “Our only objective is to help people get out of the rubble,” explains the former firefighter.
“As soon as we knew there was an earthquake, we got going, we gathered our volunteers, we packed our bags and we took the plane with our dogs.”
Patrick Villardry, French first aid workerat franceinfo
Less than twenty-four hours after the earthquake, the teams arrived in Casablanca, before heading to Marrakech on Saturday September 9 at night.
After long hours of waiting in the Moroccan capital, discussions with the country’s authorities have made no progress, according to volunteers. So the French rescuers decided to go and lend a hand to local teams in the Atlas Mountains, without waiting for the green light from Rabat. With the help of local contacts, they were able to support rescue teams deployed in Ouirgane on Sunday.
Under these conditions, French rescuers remain discreet during their interventions. “We were asked not to wear t-shirts with the logo of the association, nor any French sign. So, we took off our tricolor flagsslips Patrick Villardry, dressed in a black “Brooklyn” t-shirt. It’s a shame, but that’s not the most important thing.”
Help that remains appreciated on site
On site, the French and Moroccan teams work hand in hand with the sole objective of finding survivors. “We come with humility and we are very well received by the Moroccan rescuers”, assures the former firefighter, specialized in dog research. Despite the days that pass, hope remains. “In Turkey, we found two people alive, eight days after the earthquake,” insists the septuagenarian. In the village, bereaved families come to greet them and thank them.
Because in the heart of the Atlas Mountains, diplomatic issues seem far from the concerns of the rescuers. “We don’t take care of political problems”affirms Patrick Villardry, before still slipping:
“It’s unacceptable that we let people die because of oversized egos.”
Patrick Villardry, French first aid workerat franceinfo
In the village, a backhoe loader continues to dismantle a house in which a woman has still not been found. The French volunteers gesture towards the former firefighter. “They want you to come back with the dog”, says a rescuer, in a black t-shirt and white helmet. Patrick Villardry just has time to say one last word before returning to the rubble: “We’ve been nicknamed rescue mercenaries. If we have to disguise ourselves as a chameleon to save people, we’ll do it.”