March 4, 1960
AGADIR: Paris, 1 – Two strong earthquakes and a subsequent fire and tidal wave have destroyed nearly the entire port and city of Agadir, Morocco. According to the reports available, the death toll is about 2,000 to 3,000 people, with another 4,000 to 5,000 injured. More than 50,000 people are homeless; that is, approximately the entire population of the town. Damage to property is estimated at millions of francs. Hundreds of people are believed to be buried in the rubble. The captain of a Spanish fishing boat sent a message to Las Palmas, in the Canary Islands, saying he estimated that roughly 2,000 people had been killed. Rescue teams are working furiously to find any survivors. Meanwhile, an airlift between Agadir and Casablanca has begun to evacuate people, most of whom have been taken to other towns. AGADIR II: Later reports have put the death toll of the Agadir earthquake at between 9,000 to 10,000. About 2,350 bodies have been retrieved and buried in mass graves. Moroccan troops have sealed off the town and the US military and hundreds of French sailors are spraying the ruins with disinfectant to avert epidemics. All the survivors have been relocated.
