The Morocco branch of Pestana CR7 Hotels, a chain owned by Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo has opened its doors to victims of the earthquake in Morocco.
A powerful 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck the mountainous High Atlas region in Morocco on Friday evening destroying lives and property.
As of Sunday morning, at least 2,000 have died as a result of the earthquake, and thousands more are injured or missing.
Through this tragedy, chaos, and grief, numerous Marrakech-based organizations, businesses, and humanitarians have offered assistance to those affected by the earthquake and these include Pestana CR7 Marrakech, Ronaldo’s hotel.
Reports suggest that the luxury hotel is providing shelter to those who have lost their homes. The 174-room hotel is billed as a luxury with four stars, but the building has been transformed to offer shelter to victims of the earthquake.
Irene Seixas, a Spanish national who is one of the survivors of the devastating earthquake was quoted by Spanish sports outlet Marca.com as saying, “The hotels are the same. We had to come to the new area of Marrakech, where there are more luxury hotels, so to speak.
“Now we have managed to get Cristiano Ronaldo’s hotel, which is on the outskirts, to give us a room. We are waiting. We have slept all night on the street and at seven in the morning they told us that yes, we could approach.”
Ronaldo’s gesture is not the only one from the world of soccer to help those affected. On Saturday the Moroccan national team donated blood to help support the victims. This is in addition to messages of sympathy and condolences sent to Morocco from the football world.
Marrakech, a UNESCO World Heritage site, has suffered some of the worst effects of the earthquake. Buildings and city walls have collapsed and efforts are underway to locate and rescue the injured who could still be trapped under the ruins.
Across the city public buildings, town squares, and even roundabouts have been converted into emergency shelters, with beds set up for those who have lost their homes.
