Spain sends a 56-person rescue team to earthquake-hit Morocco

Spain sends 56 rescuers and four search dogs to Morocco following the powerful earthquake that killed over 2,000 people, after receiving a formal request for help from Rabat.

An A400 military plane takes off from a base in the northeastern city of Zaragoza with the team bound for Marrakesh to “help in the search and rescue of survivors of the devastating earthquake suffered in our neighboring country,” the defense ministry says in a statement.

Spain is preparing to send a second plane with a rescue team run by the regional government of Madrid, Defense Minister Margarita Robles adds during an interview with Spanish public television.

“We will send whatever is needed because everyone knows that these first hours are key, especially if there are people buried under rubble,” she adds.

Morocco has yet to approve any humanitarian aid offers from Israel, the US or France, among other countries.