Two Australians attacked in Marrakech

TWO Australians relaxing by a hotel pool in Morocco with other guests have been hacked with machetes in a senseless, unprovoked attack.

Hotel guests say John Parkinson, from Victoria, and Dianna Knox, from NSW, were slashed a number of times about the arms and shoulders by a man wielding a machete in each hand.

The attacker's rampage began after he climbed a wall into the pool area of the Morocco capital's Sofitel Marrakech about 11.15am local time yesterday. Other reports say he gained access to the hotel by pretending to be a painter.

The pair's travelling companions say there was no apparent motive for the disturbing attack, and no one else was attacked.

Security staff caught the attacker, handing him over to police as the Australians were taken to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

They had arrived in Marrakech the day before, part of a Pharmaceutical Society of Australia study tour involving 190 society members and their partners.

Society vice-president Debbie Rigby said the pair were sitting about the pool relaxing when the man came over the wall and started hacking them with two machetes.

“Everybody else was running away screaming,” she said in a telephone call to Sydney from the Marrakech hotel.

“As far we can tell it was an isolated incident, and the tour will continue.”

Ms Rigby said the pair's injuries were not life-threatening.

“The injuries to both of them were to the arms and shoulder,” she said.

Ms Rigby said the attack had disturbed everybody on the tour, but that a counselling expert with them was available to help anybody who needed it.

A hotel worker said the Australians were struck three or four times each by the attacker, suffering cuts to their arms, legs and upper body.

“They are our guests, they told us that they are Australian,” the hotel worker said.

“They are not too badly injured,” he said.

The attacker had previously received hospital treatment in the central town of Fes for mental problems, a police source said.

Hotel manager Najib Mountassir said: “It's an isolated act, the woman is resting in her room, but we have done tests for the man although his head injury is light.”

Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news