Manitoba woman worried about family stuck in Morocco after earthquake

A Manitoba woman is worried for her family members who are stuck in Morocco following a deadly earthquake.

Margaret Cobiness said her daughter Kari and two young grandchildren are trying to get out of the country after a magnitude 6.8 earthquake left thousands dead and many others injured.

Cobiness said she immediately tried to contact her daughter when she first learned of the earthquake, but couldn’t get in touch.

“I was panicking, panicking, panicking. Maybe half an hour and then she finally called me,” she said in an interview with CTV Morning Live on Wednesday.

At the time of the earthquake, Kari was out biking with a friend. Cobiness said her daughter initially mistook the tremors for issues with her bike.

“When she finally got a hold of me she said, ‘Mom, everybody’s running in the streets. They’re telling everybody to get out of the buildings and take shelter outside,” Cobiness said.

As of now, Kari has nowhere to go. Cobiness said they are trying to send her money so she can stay in hostels or hotels.

“If not, she will stay on the streets. She’s living out of her backpack,” she said.

Cobiness’ daughter has been living in Morocco for five years, but she’s been trying to get back to Canada for more than two years.

Cobiness said they’ve reached out to several organizations for help, but nothing has worked.

“We’ve been trying to fundraise on our own. It’s just a complicated situation,” she said.

Cobiness said they are continuing to look for help, input, resources and donations to help bring her family home.

“It’s just like she cannot come home at all. It’s just one door shut after another,” she said.

- With files from CTV’s Rachel Lagace.