Several Newfoundlanders were among those caught in the major earthquake that struck Morocco early Saturday morning.
Bonavista Mayor John Norman was attending a UNESCO conference in Marrakesh with others from this province when the 6.8 magnitude earthquake hit, but all are safe, according to Norman’s mother, Wilma.
Cellphone coverage is understandably unreliable in the region since the earthquake. But Wilma Norman tells VOCM News she was able to text and later speak with her son in the aftermath to confirm he and the others in the delegation are OK.
“He texted me the night it happened, you know, just three sentences: there’s been an earthquake, we’re alive, buildings are collapsing,” she said. “So that was enough to allay my fears to some degree, but still nobody really knew what was going on then.
“I was able to speak with him a little later, and I think they were still in shock. They were certainly in shock at the time.”
(Bonavista Mayor John Norman)
Norman’s partner is also with him, along with two others from this province with the Discovery Global Geopark delegation.
They’re expected to travel to Casablanca on Monday before flying home on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Other Canadians in Morocco are being encouraged to register with Global Affairs Canada.
The earthquake killed more than 2,000 people in the North African country.
