Moroccan Earthquake - September 2023
Friday, September 8, a 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck the High Atlas mountains, southwest of Marrakesh causing widespread destruction and the loss of many lives.
Emergency services are racing against time to rescue survivors buried under rubble, and Government agencies and news outlets report widespread disruption to transportation routes due to the extent of damage in the area.
Further impacts to travel are expected while emergency services work to get the situation under control.
If you are in the affected areas, follow the advice of local authorities at all times, including any evacuation orders. Travellers in these areas may experience disruption to their travel plans.
As the earthquake is being widely reported in the media, any policies purchased after 12.30pm NZST on Sunday 10 September 2023 will not provide cover for losses arising from these events. This does not impact cover provided by policies purchased prior to this time, subject to the terms of the policy.
Note: Cover offered by travel insurance policies issued and managed by nib Travel Services (Australia) Pty may vary. Please read your Policy Document for full details of cover.
If you’re already travelling
If you’re a nib Travel Insurance customer/traveller and require emergency assistance due to this event, please contact our Emergency Assistance team as soon as it’s practicable and safe to do so.
For the latest advice on travel in Morocco, visit https://www.safetravel.govt.nz/
If you’re planning to travel in these regions
Your policy can continue to offer cover in line with the policy terms and conditions. Note that the policy offers cover based on specific, listed insured events; also, you must be aware that policy exclusions still exist, including:
for choosing to travel to or remain in a destination where there are Do Not Travel warnings in place.
All other terms, conditions, limitations and exclusions continue to apply.
Before planning travel, please check the government advice applicable to your policy and monitor media coverage.
If your travel plans are affected
If you need to change your travel arrangements, contact your airline, cruise company or travel agent for assistance in the first instance.
In the event you need to claim, you must do everything you can to minimise and reduce the cost of the claim and provide all supporting documentation of the event and expenses incurred. If you intend to submit a claim, please complete the claim form and if you need help doing this, contact us.
If you have any other queries, please get in touch.