Italy: Moroccans in quake area return home

Rome, 25 May (AKI)- At least 100 Moroccans are returning home after the area in northern Italy where they were residing was struck by an earthquake five days ago.

The immigrants were forced to abandon their homes in the town of Finale Emilia in Italy's Emilia-Romagna region where a 5.9-magnitude quake early Sunday morning killed seven people and left around 5,000 homeless. A Moroccan working a night shift in a factory was among the dead.

The Moroccan embassy to Italy together with an organisation for expatriate Moroccans organised the bus trip that will take them home via a ferry from Gibraltar.

"Yesterday we received the request to help repatriate more than 200 Moroccans only in that area," said Khalid Moufidi, coordinator of the Association of Moroccans in the world. "In just a few hours we were able to fit two buses that will take 100 Moroccans directly from Finale Emilia directly to Morocco."

Other organisations working with the embassy in Rome may organise chartered flights to repatriate further Moroccans.