Moroccan man in Luton takes supplies to earthquake victims after community donations

A man from Morocco living in Luton has taken supplies to those devastated by the country’s recent earthquake after raising thousands of pounds.

At the start of September, a 6.8 magnitude earthquake hit the North African country killing, injuring and displacing tens of thousands of people.

Imad Saissi, 26, organised a bake sale in Bury Park. He sold doughnuts, cookies and other sweet treats, with the proceeds going towards supplies for earthquake survivors.

The maintenance engineer received more than £3,400 in donations in one day in the town and used the cash to buy essential items for his trip to help those devastated by the disaster. He said: “I bought over-the-counter medicines – paracetamol, vitamin C and heat wraps. In Morocco, I bought bed covers, sheets, pillows, nappies and sanitary towels.

"We reached the village at the highest altitude in the whole of North Africa, they literally had nothing left.”

Imad usually visits his home country to relax and see his family and friends and found this trip difficult. Imad said: “You see people in a bad way, the dynamic is different. My family is in Casablanca and they felt it. Everyone slept in the streets for three days because they were scared of the aftershock.”

The aid effort reached those living in the Atlas Mountains after Imad and his team travelled through debris to reach survivors. He said: "I want to say a massive thank you for all those people having contributed to this.”