The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank have decided to hold their annual meetings in Morocco in October despite a recent earthquake that killed more than 2,900 people, it was announced on Monday.
The decision, made by senior IMF and World Bank officials, came at the request of Moroccan authorities, who had pressed the global institutions to proceed with the October 9 to 15 gathering in Marrakech, just 72 km from the site of the 6.8-magnitude quake on September 8.
Questions had swirled over whether the earthquake in the High Atlas Mountains would disrupt plans for the meetings in Morocco's tourist hub of Marrakech, which are expected to bring some 10,000-15,000 to the city.
