Morocco earthquake: Utah Gov. Cox ‘evaluating’ how the National Guard can help

A magnitude-6.8 earthquake hit Morocco late Friday night around 50 miles from the city of Marrakesh. The earthquake was the biggest — and deadliest — to hit the country in 120 years, The Associated Press reported.

As of Saturday morning, the death toll was 1,037 with another 1,204 injured, Morocco’s Interior Ministry said.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said he was “devastated” in response to news of the earthquake on social media Friday night.

“Devastated to learn of the destruction in Morocco. Our relationships and history run deep and our prayers are with our many friends there,” Cox wrote. “We will be evaluating how we can utilize our National Guard ties to help them recover.”

The Utah National Guard has been in partnership with the Kingdom of Morocco for twenty years as a part of Utah National Guard’s State Partnership Program.

According to the National Guard, the program “connects a U.S. state or territory’s National Guard to partner country’s military, security forces and governmental organizations.” The National Guard’s provides disaster Response and emergency management as a part of its programs with partner countries.