Morocco earthquake: Interior Ministry gives update on latest casualties

The number of people who were confirmed dead in Friday’s earthquake in Morocco has now increased to 2,497, according to the interior ministry.

The death toll moved from the previous figure of 2,122.

2,476 people were so far injured, the ministry said, which has risen from 2,400 wounded.

Morocco has so far accepted aid offers from four countries – Spain, the UK, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, as they struggled with the aftereffects of the devastating quake.

The country however rejected aid from France, the north African country’s former colonial power.

French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna stressed that it was up to Morocco to ask for French aid.

“We are ready to help Morocco. It’s a sovereign Moroccan decision and it’s up to them to decide.”

She described the issues as “a misplaced controversy,” she told BFM television.

The French government has pledged €5m ($5.4m) to aid organisations on site in Morocco.

Ties between Paris and Rabat are at their lowest state.

Meanwhile, the UK has dispatched 60 rescuers, four dogs and a four-person medical assessment team. The resources include key equipment for finding people in the rubble – concrete cutters and seismic listening devices, according to the BBC.