Morocco pledges $11 billion to rebuild quake-stricken areas

Morocco has unveiled a programme of an estimated 120 billion dirhams ($11.6 billion) to rebuild areas in the North African country affected by an earthquake that killed nearly 3,000 people earlier this month.
The 6.8-magnitude quake hit several areas in Morocco on September 8 and also left some 50,000 houses completely or partially collapsed, according to official figures.
Morocco's King Mohammed VI chaired a meeting that focused on a programme to rebuild and rehabilitate the regions damaged by the quake, the royal court said in a statement issued late on Wednesday, according to the country's state news agency MAP.
An estimated overall budget of 120 billion dirhams will be spent over a 5-year period for the affected region, to support some 4.2 million people, the statement added.
The programme features projects for reconstructing buildings, repairing damaged infrastructures, rehousing affected inhabitants and stimulating economic and employment activities.
Funding is to come through appropriations in the state budget, local contributions and international support, according to the statement.
The earthquake was Morocco's deadliest since 1960 when a quake struck the coastal city of Agadir, killing at least 12,000, according to media reports.