Hamid ben Henna was having a family dinner on Friday when he requested his young son to fetch a knife from the kitchen for slicing a melon.

Marouane, his son, went into the kitchen, but suddenly, the room started shaking, and the lights went out. Debris began falling from the ceiling in their family home in the High Atlas Mountains.

According to Ben Henna, he recounted to Reuters news agency, "Everything began at around 11 pm or 11:30 pm. Marouane couldn't bring the knife because the earthquake struck as soon as he left the kitchen."

He explained that his eight-year-old son became trapped under 1.5 to 2 meters of rubble.

Fatima, Marouane's mother, shared her experience, saying, "There was complete darkness. We were enveloped in darkness and covered in dust. We heard the tremors, rocks, and walls collapsing. Initially, we didn't comprehend what was happening."

As their house crumbled, Ben Henna and his other son, Mouad, managed to open the door leading to the alleyway, freeing his wife and young daughter.

However, as the dust settled, they realized that Marouane had not made it. His body was recovered on Saturday.