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A Leamington charity worker who has been part of several disaster relief teams both in the UK and abroad has described the devastation left by the earthquake in Morocco as the worst he has seen.

Bill Mato, of the Khalsa Aid International branch in Coventry, travelled to Morocco on September 9 – a day after parts of the country had been hit by the magnitude 6.8 quake killing more than 2,000 people and leaving many homeless.

He spent a week helping survivors from remote communities in the Atlas Mountains, many of whom had lost loved ones and their homes.

Bill Mato with young survivors of the earthquake in Morocco. Picture supplied.

During the crucial first 48 hours of the operation – in which survivors needed to be made safe and warm as the weather starts to get colder and the spread of disease needs to be prevented by providing sanitation – Bill and other relief workers helped to provide victims with aid supplies including, blankets, tents, cooking utensils, gas bottles and even colouring books for children to try to take their mind off the situation.

Bill, 42, said: “I have worked on disaster relief in Haiti after the earthquake there and in flooded communities in England but I had never seen anything as bad as that.

"There were times when I would just hold my head and think ‘what the f’?

"When we got there there were still bodies buried in the rubble and you could smell them.

Bill Mato helping with the aid effort after the earthquake in Morocco. Picture supplied.

"These people have lost their loved ones and their homes.

“Things like that really put things into perspective.

"We take so much for granted and these people have lost everything.”

Bill will travel back to Morocco again soon.

Bill Mato and fellow relief workers look on at the devastation after the earthquake in Morocco. Picture supplied.

He said: “As soon as I came home, another member of the Khalsa team went out there to take my place.

"The team are still on the ground out there.

"People in the remote areas are really struggling.

"It is going to take a long time for them to recover from this.”

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Bill mainly works for Khalsa Aid’s Langar Aid project which has a mission to provide food to the homeless, vulnerable and those struggling with poverty in the UK.

For more about Khalsa Aid International visit https://www.khalsaaid.org/

Leamington charity worker was on front line of aid support after Morocco earthquake