Young boy killed after going to fetch a knife during dinnerpublished at 08:23 British Summer Time 11 September 2023
Hamid ben Henna was having dinner with his family on Friday when he asked his young son to fetch a knife from the kitchen to cut a melon.
His son, Marouane went to get one when the room began to shake and the lights went out. Rubble starting to fall from the ceiling in the family home in the High Atlas Mountains.
Ben Henna told Reuters news agency: "It all started at 11pm or 11:30pm. Marouane didn’t bring it because as soon as he left the kitchen the earthquake struck."
He said the eight-year-old was buried by a 1.5 to 2m of rubble.
Fatima, Marouane's mother said: "There was no light. We were in darkness and under the dust. We heard the quake, rocks and walls falling. But at first we didn’t realise what was going on."
As their house collapsed Ben Henna and his other son, Mouad managed to open the door into the alleyway and free his wife and small daughter.
But as the dust settled they realised that Marouane had not made it. His body was recovered on Saturday.