LONDON (AlertNet) - An earthquake that hit northern Morocco early on Tuesday around the Mediterranean port city of Al Hociema has devastated at least one village and overwhelmed local health facilities, according to early Red Crescent assessments.

Josephine Shields, regional delegate for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, spoke to AlertNet by phone from Tunis about the likely damage from a disaster that has potentially affected up to 400,000 people in a remote part of the country.

AlertNet: What is the damage assessment so far?

Josephine Shields: It's too early to say. What we've been told is that six villages that are more or less within 15 km (nine miles) from Al Hociema have been affected. Ait Kamara has been reported to be basically totally destroyed.

That is being confirmed with the assessment that is being carried out now by Moroccan Red Crescent volunteers who are on the scene, the civil protection, the Royal Army, the Royal Marines and other local actors.

We’ve been told that the entire area that has been affected so far has between 300,000 and 400,000 people. It is in a remote area -- very mountainous -- so it’s a bit difficult to access.

We’ve also heard that a village called Im-Zouren has been badly affected. What we have so far from the Moroccan Red Crescent is that approximately 120 people have been killed and about 200 injured, but that figure is going to rise, we presume.

AN: What relief efforts are already taking place?

JS: The good thing is that the Moroccan army has a logistics base very close to the affected area, so they have mobilised along with the marines and civil protection. And we have so far 65 Moroccan Red Crescent volunteers who are trained relief workers who are actually on the scene doing damage and needs assessment at this point.

What we’ve heard so far is that there is need for blankets, food, water and also for warm clothing and possibly for a field hospital as local health facilities are basically saturated at this point.

Two thousand blankets and 100 tents were released from the Rabat central warehouse. There are also 180 jerry cans, 200 tarpaulins, two ambulances as well as beds, blankets and tents sent from neighbouring Moroccan Red Crescent branches.

In terms of international support, the Geneva Secretariat has been in touch with other donor Red Cross and Red Crescent societies, which have been placing emergency response units on standby, including possibly some field hospitals because that’s very badly needed in the area.

So the international mechanism for disaster response by the Red Cross/Red Crescent has been mobilised and we have on stand-by people who can quickly go to Morocco to reinforce the Moroccan Red Crescent capacity. We’ll make a decision later today in terms of who will go and what we’ll send.

The British Red Cross has also been in torch with us and is willing to send whatever we need in terms of support, be it human or material to the area.

AN: How are weather conditions in the area?

JS: It’s fairly good weather. It’s sunny. I think it’s about 15 to 19 degrees. However, as night approaches, temperatures are going to drop so that’s why it’s urgent to get tents and also some warm clothing for the people.

Because it’s close to the mountains, you can very well imagine that the temperature is going to be even lower than in Rabat or Casablanca.