Morocco earthquake: I had to choose between saving my parent or my son.

Tayeb ait Ighenbaz was forced to choose whether to save his 11-year-old son or his parent when they became trapped under rubble after Morocco’s earthquake struck.

The goat herder from a tiny community in the Atlas Mountains says he is haunted by the decision he had to make.

Tayeb was with his wife,two children and parents on Friday night in their small stone home when it was rocked by the country’s biggest earthquake in 60 years.

It all happened so quickly,when the earthquake happened we all ran to the door.my dad was sleeping and I shouted at my mum to come, but she stayed behind to wait for him,

On the other side, he could see only his wife and daughter.

As he made his way back into the fallen building, tayeb found both his son and his parents trapped under debris. He could see his son’s hand poking through the rubble.

He knew he had to act quickly, and headed in the direction of his son Adam, digging desperately through the rubble to pull him out.

When he turned to his parents, trapped under a large slab of stone , he says it was to late .” I had to choose between my parents and son” he says with tears in his eyes.

I couldn’t help my parents because the wall fell over half of their bodies. It’s so sad. I saw my parents dying.

Tayeb points down at stains on his light colored jeans , saying this is the blood of his parents.

All of his clothes are in his house and he has been unable to get changed since the earthquake.

The family are now living with relatives in makeshift tents close to their former home. Tayeb says all of his money was in the house and most of his goats have been killed.

“It’s like being born again into a new life. no parents, no house, no food, no clothes,” he says. “I’m 50 years old now and I’m having to start again.

He can’t begin to think how to move forward, but remembers the lessons that his parents, taught him.”they always said “be patient,work hard,never give up.