Moroccan earthquake was most frightening moment of my life

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Former Scotland goalkeeper Alan Rough has said living through a deadly earthquake in Morocco was the most frightening experience of his life.

The ex-footballer had been in Marrakesh until a day before the disaster, but moved six miles outside the city on Thursday.

The 6.8 magnitude earthquake is the deadliest the country has seen in over 60 years, killing over 2,000 people.

Mr Rough said he’ll “never forget” the minute-long ordeal.

Speaking to BBC Radio Scotland’s Drivetime programme, Alan Rough said: “The moment it happened was most frightening moment of my life, and that was with us 30 miles away from the quake itself.”The whole room was visibly shaking, everything flying off the counter.

“It was just a horrendous experience you didn’t know if the building was going to fall down on top of you.

“You didn’t know where to go, you didn’t know whether to run left, you didn’t know whether to go right.

“It happened in a minute, but the minute seemed like eternity.”

The earthquake’s epicentre was the High Atlas mountains, south of Marrakesh.

The death toll is over 2,600 and is expected to rise.

In Marrakesh some buildings have collapsed and the damage is particularly severe in parts of the Medina, a Unesco World Heritage site.

Rough had been staying in Marrakesh with his wife, journalist Maggie Barry, until the day before the earthquake struck before they moved to a hotel six miles from the city.

He said there was no indication of what was about to happen and it came as a “complete surprise to everybody”.

Rough said that guests at his hotel have been “chipping in” and trying to help where they can, including some medical staff from Glasgow who have offered to set up a blood transfusion service.

The Patrick Thistle legend continued: “We’re trying to be on holiday, but also be hugely sympathetic to what’s happening outside.

“There’s nothing we can do, but all we can see is the devastation.

“Most of the people who work in this resort are from Marrakesh and their families are from Marrakesh so you can imagine what they are going through.

“We have had a minute silence most nights it’s been quite an emotional holiday”.

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