Czech firefighters are ready to send special USAR team to Morocco

Czech firefighters are prepared to dispatch a specialized USAR (Urban Search and Rescue) team to assist Morocco following a devastating earthquake, but they await an official request for assistance, as stated on the social network X.

"Two firefighters will fly to Morocco this evening to facilitate the potential deployment of the team," the Czech Fire and Rescue Service announced on the social networking site.

The earthquake struck the High Atlas Mountains on Friday evening, claiming the lives of over 1,000 people.

The Czech Fire and Rescue Service, in coordination with Czech Interior Minister Vít Rakušan and Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský, is taking all necessary steps to deploy the USAR team to the affected area.

Additionally, the firefighters reported that "a two-member team of firefighters would fly to Morocco this evening to help assess the situation in Marrakesh. Their task will be to discuss the deployment of a Czech HUSAR (Heavy Urban Search and Rescue) team in the earthquake-affected area," with the Czech army eventually providing transport for the rescue team.

Lipavský said on X, "The ministry is ready to release funds for humanitarian aid to Morocco. We are working out the details with the firefighters and the Moroccan side." on the X network.

The USAR team has a history of aiding in disaster situations, such as the recent earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, where Czech rescuers successfully extricated 78 bodies and two survivors from the rubble in the Turkish town of Adiyaman.

The earthquake in Morocco occurred late on Friday evening, approximately 70 kilometers southwest of Marrakesh and 60 kilometers northeast of Taroudant. While some buildings collapsed in Marrakesh's UNESCO World Heritage site's old part, most of the damage took place outside the city, according to the Moroccan Interior Ministry.