In Morocco, tears for a brother who died

  • last year
About to return to school, seven-year-old Suleiman Aytnasr had been carried to his bedroom to ensure a good night's rest after he had fallen asleep in the living room. As he slept, a powerful earthquake brought down the ceiling. - REUTERS
Transcript
00:00 Near the epicenter of Morocco's deadly earthquake, devastating loss is coming into focus.
00:10 Brady Maitnazer's 7-year-old son, Suleiman, was sleeping when the 6.8 magnitude quake
00:16 struck.
00:17 BRADY MAITNAZER, Mother of Suleiman (through translator): There were guests here at my
00:20 house, and I told my wife to take him to his room to sleep.
00:24 And she took him to this room.
00:26 As she came back outside, the earthquake happened, and the ceilings were destroyed, and they
00:31 fell on him.
00:32 ALI ROGIN: His wife told him to listen for any sign of life in the rubble, but it was
00:37 too late.
00:40 Suleiman was about to start a new school year.
00:44 His older brother, Mouath, says Suleiman had a special perspective on life.
00:48 MOUATH, Brother of Suleiman (through translator): He always saw the whole world, always saw
00:55 the spring and the trees and the land.
00:58 One day, when he was playing with my other brother, he paused and said to him that there
01:03 will come a day when he will cry over his loss.
01:17 And here I am doing just that.
01:21 ALI ROGIN: Mouath says he and another brother managed to survive by climbing through the
01:30 collapsed kitchen ceiling.
01:34 Suleiman is one of more than 2,600 people who died in Friday's disaster.
01:40 Boulders have blocked roads, making it difficult for rescue workers to reach the area.
01:46 Burniem said he helped rescue half-a-dozen neighbors in the hamlet, and pulled out several
01:50 dead bodies.
01:53 Despite so much loss, Burniem says he plans to rebuild here, and is just grateful for
01:59 the memories he has of his son.

Recommended