AURORA, Colo. (KDVR) — An Aurora family who is from Morocco said they lost 13 family members in the powerful earthquake there on Friday.

Hanane Ghiwane lives in Aurora with her husband and children, but her parents, siblings and other family members still live in Morocco. Her cousins sent her pictures and video of the family’s damaged and destroyed homes.

“My grandparents’ house just disappeared,” she said.

Ghiwane’s parents live in Casablanca, and they were all right. But her mother’s family lives in southern villages near Taroudant, in the Atlas Mountains. Ghiwane said 13 of them died in the quake.

“Thirteen is not a small number that we lost in one day,” she said. “One of them, she was pregnant with a child. Another one, she just got married,” Ghiwane said.

Residents flee their homes after an earthquake in Moulay Brahim village, near the epicenter of the earthquake, outside Marrakech, Morocco
Residents flee their homes after an earthquake in Moulay Brahim village, near the epicenter of the earthquake, outside Marrakech, Morocco, Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023. A rare, powerful earthquake struck Morocco late Friday night, killing more than 800 people and damaging buildings from villages in the Atlas Mountains to the historic city of Marrakech. But the full toll was not known as rescuers struggled to get through boulder-strewn roads to the remote mountain villages hit hardest. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)

Now she worries about her family’s mental health, as some are still unable to speak to her.

“No words to explain what happened,” she said.

Ghiwane has pictures of a family trip to Morocco in June. Unfortunately, none of the buildings in the photos are still standing.

She offered a GoFundMe account for people who would like to help.

“We just want to help to rebuild their houses,” she said.