The case in summary Kristin Rangnes, general manager of Gea Norvegica geopark, experienced the great earthquake in Morocco. She and almost 2,000 colleagues were gathered at an international conference in Marrakech when the earthquake struck. Almost 2,500 people have died and 2,400 have been injured after the earthquake. Rangnes and his colleagues have donated money to the rescue work and organized voluntary blood donation. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. – It was terrible and terrifying, says Kristin Rangnes. She is the general manager of the Gea Norvegica geopark in Vestfold and Telemark. Ragnes and almost 2,000 colleagues have gathered at an international conference in Marrakech, Morocco. Kristin Rangnes, general manager of Gea Norvegica geopark in Vestfold and Telemark, is present at an international conference in Marrakesh. Photo: PRIVAT Late on Friday evening, she and several colleagues were having dinner when the huge earthquake struck. – I will never forget that sound. I’ve known small earthquakes before, but never experienced anything like this. It was falling all around us, she says. Almost 2,500 people have died in the earthquake and 2,400 people have been injured after the quake that happened on Friday evening. Rangnes was not injured herself, and did not experience major injuries where she was. It was nevertheless a dramatic experience. Run out into the open street The sound started with a violent bang, and was followed by a long rolling tremor that lasted for up to 30 seconds. – It was a surprisingly loud sound, she says. – What does an earthquake sound like? – Absolutely awful. We didn’t understand what it was. Was it thunder, or a bomb? But it didn’t stop, she says. – That’s what I’m left with, the extreme bang and the rolling, long sound. It was incredibly scary, says Rangnes. It still took a short time before they understood that it was an earthquake. In several places, you can see cracks in the buildings after the earthquake. Photo: GEA NORVEGICA GEOPARK IN VESTFOLD AND TELEMARK – Panic broke out and people ran. I sat with other geologists, some who also come from areas with a lot of earthquakes, and sat under the table, she says. Rangnes quickly realized that they had to go out into the open street. – I first went out onto a veranda and there was a lot of glass on the floors above me. I turned and ran out through the house and into the street, she says. – Why? – When you see the pictures of the villages that have really been affected, everything is broken. People end up under building blocks. You can have glass and bricks falling on you. We have seen cars crushed by large boulders. Getting out into open areas is extremely important, she says. Didn’t have an earthquake in mind A colleague was staying in the old town when the earthquake struck. There the damage was much greater. Almost 2,000 geologists gathered at the international geopark conference in Marrakesh, Morocco. Photo: GEA NORVEGICA GEOPARK As geologists, they were aware that it was in an area where earthquakes can occur. – But it was 120 years ago that there was an earthquake here, it wasn’t exactly what we had in mind, says Rangnes. She says that Swedish and Finnish colleagues had to spend the night outside in the open space. Gives money for rescue work Rangnes and his colleagues were supposed to go on a field trip to the Atlas Mountains, but it has been cancelled. There are now three days of national mourning in Morocco. – All the money we have paid for the field trip will now go to the rescue work. We have also organized voluntary blood donations, so it was just a matter of rolling up your sleeves, she says.
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Experienced the earthquake at a geology conference in Morocco – news Vestfold and Telemark – Local news, TV and radio
