No Harm to 77 Korean Nationals on Morocco Business Trip... "Departing Sequentially"

Jeju Team Expected to Depart Early Morning on the 12th

Seventy-seven Korean nationals who traveled to Morocco to attend the Global Geoparks Conference are returning to Korea sequentially without any casualties.

On the 10th, Ko Jung-gun, head of the Hallasan Research Department at the Jeju World Heritage Headquarters, told Yonhap News via text message, "All 77 Koreans participating in the Geoparks Conference from Jeju, Cheongsong, and Jinan County Office are safe," adding, "As the conference concludes, they are departing sequentially."

Earlier, representatives from Jeju Province (including six staff members from the World Heritage Headquarters and the UNESCO Registered Heritage Management Committee), Danyang County in Chungbuk, the Mudeungsan team, and the Gyeongbuk East Coast team left Korea to attend the "10th Global Geoparks Conference" held in Morocco from the 4th to the 11th. However, a strong earthquake struck Morocco late on the night of the 8th, prompting an expedited return.

The appearance of the Jeju delegation's accommodation damaged by the Morocco earthquake on the afternoon of the 9th [Image source=Yonhap News]

Ko said, "There is confusion as many visitors are trying to leave Morocco by air," adding, "It is difficult to obtain new flight tickets, so early return is impossible, but fortunately, the Jeju team should be able to depart by the early morning of the 12th at the latest." It was reported that the Chungbuk Danyang County team left Morocco at 11 a.m. local time on the 9th, and the Mudeungsan and Gyeongbuk East Coast teams departed in the morning of the 10th.

Currently, all domestic participants are in the new urban area of Marrakech, Morocco. Ko stated, "The old urban area and mountainous regions of Marrakech suffered significant damage," adding, "Fortunately, the new urban area has less damage." He also expressed concern, saying, "A 24-hour disaster broadcast is currently ongoing," and "Damage in the mountainous areas is increasing."

In Morocco, a magnitude 6.8 earthquake occurred at approximately 11:11 p.m. on the 8th, about 72 km southwest of Marrakech. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) explained that this earthquake was the largest strong quake in Morocco in about 120 years. According to Moroccan state broadcasting, as of the 10th, the death toll from the earthquake has exceeded 2,012, and the number of injured has surpassed 2,059.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.