French President Emmanuel Macron said today he was “devastated by the devastating earthquake in Morocco” and offered the help of France.

“We all feel devastated after the devastating earthquake in Morocco. France is ready to help by providing immediate assistance,” Macron said in a post on the X platform (formerly Twitter).

In a letter to the King of Morocco, Mohammed VI, excerpts of which were obtained by Agence France-Presse, the French president expressed his “great emotion” and his “deep sadness” in the face of the “terrible tragedy”.

The latest provisional tally published by Moroccan state television, citing the Ministry of the Interior, speaks of 1,037 dead from the 7-magnitude earthquake that struck late Friday night and whose epicenter was in al-Hawz province, southwest of the tourist city of Marrakesh. More over 1,200 people have also been injured.

“My thoughts are especially with the families and loved ones of the missing victims as well as the injured,” Macron said in his letter, expressing his “condolences and those of the French people”.

“France is already ready to mobilize the necessary resources to respond to any requests of the Kingdom of Morocco and to provide immediate assistance in this critical emergency phase and, when the time comes, the necessary support for reconstruction,” he added.

At the same time, the municipality of Paris reported to AFP that The Eiffel Tower will turn off its lights at 11pm today as a tribute to the victims of the earthquake in Morocco.

The turning off of the lights of the Eiffel Tower expresses the “absolute and obvious support of the French capital to Morocco”, said the mayor Anne Hidalgo, expressing her “solidarity with the cities (affected) and the families” of the victims.

“This solidarity will be financial” and its amount is being assessed by the Moroccan authorities and the city of Paris, he underlined.