A touching gathering was held Sunday evening in Laval in memory of the thousands of victims of the earthquake in Morocco and the floods that hit Libya.
• Read also : Morocco announces rehousing program after earthquake
• Read also : Floods in Libya : the death toll in Derna rises to 11,300
“My family lives in Casablanca, it’s a little far away, but they felt the earthquake. There was still a bit of panic,” says Siham Bounafa, who was accompanied by her 7-year-old son, Adam.
Photo Laurent Lavoie
“Our thoughts are with all the victims, whether they are the deceased, the injured or the people who have lost their families,” she adds.
The duo was among the many people who converged on the Montmorency College football field.
Unit
The event comes more than a week after a powerful earthquake struck a region of the High Atlas, southwest of the tourist city of Marrakech, Morocco. The disaster took the lives of nearly 3,000 people.
Meanwhile, floods have claimed more than 11,300 lives in the eastern Libyan town of Derna alone.
“This vigil is a testament to our unity as a community and our commitment to supporting those in need,” Rachid Najahi, an organizer, said in a statement.
Brothers
Even people whose country of origin was spared by the tragedies were keen to move. This is the case of the Algerian Lyes Amaad.
“We consider ourselves brotherly peoples and neighbors,” he told the Newspaper the Laval resident.
Photo Laurent Lavoie
Various members of the three levels of government were also present for the occasion. Comedian Rachid Badouri, of Moroccan origin, also made an appearance.
“What touches my heart this evening is to see you here in large numbers,” declared in a speech the Quebec Minister responsible for the Fight against Racism, Christopher Skeete, flanked by Liberal MPs Marwah Rizqy and Monsef Derraji .
Floods in Libya
Night of September 10 to 11, 2023
- Two dams on the Wadi Derna have given in
- 11,300 dead and 10 100 missing in Derna
- 170 dead in other cities
Earthquake in Morocco
September 8, 2023
- Magnitude 6.8 on the Richter scale
- Epicenter in the High Atlas, 72 km away from Marrakech
- 2901 deaths And 5530 injured