Miami man launches GoFundMe to help family after deadly Morocco earthquake – WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports

MIAMI (WSVN) – A Miami man, the second youngest of eight siblings, has started a GoFundMe campaign to support his family in Morocco after a devastating earthquake that killed two brothers and 17 other relatives.

The magnitude 6.8 earthquake that struck Morocco late Friday killed thousands, including 20 family members of Youssef Aktam. Six of them were in critical condition and numerous others were left homeless.

“I’m sorry…” Aktam said, fighting back tears. “To know that you used to be proud of having a big family and then you’re not anymore… I’m still trying to figure it out,” he continued.

In order to provide his affected family with urgently needed help, Aktam has resorted to crowdfunding.

“Do you know what Marrakesh is like? “It’s a small town,” he said.

As a mark of respect, Aktam did not want to release photos of his family members until they could be buried in a proper Muslim burial.

But now all he can think about are the last interactions, the last calls he could have made with family members on his birthday, just a day before the earthquake.

“I was at a belated birthday dinner when I started getting calls. I actually hung up on the first few calls because I thought they wanted to say happy birthday to me and I was with some work partners,” Aktam said. “I wish I had answered those calls.”

The aim of the GoFundMe campaign is to raise funds to help his family members in Marrakech who find themselves in dire situations after this natural disaster. The earthquake not only caused a tragic loss of life, but also left a large part of the family homeless.

“We would be happy to use any kind of support at this time. Not just for my family, but for the community,” he continued. “Please watch the news, please look on the internet and see what people are going through.”

To donate to Youssef Aktam’s GoFundMe campaign, click Here.

Copyright 2023 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.