A German Red Cross aid donation to earthquake-hit Morocco planned for Thursday was cancelled at the last minute.

“For reasons beyond our control and that of our partners in the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, new rules and regulations have been announced. The rules were announced in short notice which make it impossible for the plane to take off today,” the German Red Cross said in a statement.

The Moroccan government is under increasing pressure to accept more international aid after agreeing to take assistance from only a small handful of countries like Spain, Britain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

Almost 3,000 people are reported to have died in the earthquake that hit the North African country on Friday.

“It is important that in times like these, aid is provided solely according to the level of need and that humanitarian work is supported from all sides,” the German Red Cross said.

A spokeswoman said the group was working as quickly as possible to overcome the red tape that had been put up.

A plane carrying 36.6 tonnes of relief supplies, including more than 3,000 floor mats and 550 family-sized tents, was scheduled to take off from an airport near Leipzig on Thursday morning.

The United Nations Children’s Fund says about 100,000 children have been affected by the disaster, and thousands of houses in the country have been destroyed.

Many quake survivors in hard-hit villages in the hills of the Atlas Mountains have yet to receive relief supplies like food, medicine, baby products, bedding and makeshift shelters.

They are still spending their nights sleeping outdoors. 

(dpa/NAN)