Harambee Starlets ace Violet Nanjala relives Morocco earthquake terror

"It is so scary because the numbers are rising each day. I now can’t stay alone because I'm just shaking," Harambee Starlets striker Violet Nanjala says of her harrowing experience of the earthquake in Morocco.

The Kenyan international football player has marked herself safe following the devastating earthquake that ripped through Morocco on Friday.

But, while she hasn’t suffered any physical injuries, the earthquake has dealt Nanjala a big psychological blow even as the death toll reached 2,100 on Sunday.

According to the US Geological Survey, a 6.8-magnitude quake -- the strongest in the North African country's history -- struck Friday at 11:11 pm (2211 GMT) in an area of the Atlas mountain range 72 kilometres (45 miles) southwest of the city of Marrakesh.

It was also felt in the coastal cities of Rabat, Casablanca and Essaouira, as well as Agadir which in the 1960s had to be completely rebuilt after a devastating tremor.

Nanjala, 21, who plays for Club Municipal de Laayoune in the Moroccan Women League, resides in Laayoune, which is located 864.7 kilometers away from Marrakech.

Speaking to Nation Sport, Nanjala was unaware of the tragedy until she woke up to a flurry of missed calls and text messages from concerned friends and family members in Kenya.

As she does not understand Arabic, Nanjala sought out her fellow players at the club to understand what had occurred. One of her teammates, who is proficient in both Arabic and English, explained the events of the previous night.

"I found a lot of missed calls and messages from people back home and that is not normal. I did not what had happened the previous night until I went through the messages.  We live in different rooms at the club's residential area. The first thing I did when I woke up was visit my fellow players to understand what was happening," Nanjala told Nation Sport on Sunday.

Nanjala joined the Moroccan side last season on a two-year deal. In her first season with the club, she won the Golden Boot after scoring an impressive 23 goals in 26 games.

She has been called up to the provisional Harmabee Starlets squad ahead of the 2024 Women Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) qualifier against Indomitable Lionesses of Cameroon.

Nanjala is expected to join the rest of the team on September 15 and believes Kenya has the potential to qualify for Wafcon for the second time after their debut in 2016.

"Feels good to go back and represent my country. It has been a long time and it is my dream to play for the national team. We will be facing a tough opponent but I believe we can do it. We have been out of international football for a while now but we are not badly off because we have been active in our clubs. See you soon. Let's do this Harambee Starlets," said Nanjala.

Morocco on Saturday proclaimed three days of national mourning, following a meeting presided by King Mohammed VI.