Saturday, July 12, 2014

A Week of Accidents as Ramadan Temperatures Rise


Across Morocco the temperatures have been rising and by Tuesday will reach around 40 degrees Celsius in many places including Marrakech and Fez. Along the coast Rabat and Casablanca will escape the worst of the heat with temperatures in the high twenties.

At the same time road accidents and a building collapse have caused fatalities. Extra caution is required on the roads as the effects of fasting and low blood-sugar levels can affect drivers' response times.


Three people were killed and 30 others were injured, including nine seriously, in a road accident on Wednesday morning on the bypass between Rabat and Salé near Technopolis.  A truck registered in the European Union collided with a bus transporting employees at 6.45 causing the death of three girls. The wounded were transferred Provincial Hospital Sale and Ibn Sina hospital in Rabat.

On Friday two people died and three others were seriously injured in a road accident occurred on the highway in the town of Amskroud. The incident occurred in mid day, about 6 km from the toll station, where the driver of a truck registered in Spain hit a light car along the Marrakech-Agadir motorway.

The truck driver lost control of his vehicle before overturning and striking a light car registered in France, He died on the spot while another girl who sustained injuries died at the Hassan II Agadir hospital. The injured were transported to the hospital.

Buildings collapse in Casablanca - death toll may rise


Eight people were killed and at least 55 others were injured in the collapse early Friday morning of three buildings in the district of Burgundy in Casablanca. The collapse of these buildings occurred at about 2:30 am. and bodies of a small boy aged 10 and a woman of about 45 years were removed by firefighters after several hours of digging through the rubble. Rescuers aided by dogs are still continuing their search efforts to find other potential residents of these buildings that are still trapped.

All the wounded were evacuated to Moulay Youssef and the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire (CHU) Ibn Rushd prefectural hospital and after treating the injured seventeen remain in hospital.


HM King Mohammed VI (pictured above) visited the site immediately.  According to local press reports three other adjoining buildings were evacuated for safety.

The reasons behind this tragedy are still unknown. But according to residents interviewed by AFP, the collapse may have been caused by shoddy construction work on the lower floors of buildings. The construction dates back to the 1960s and 70s.

The Crown Prosecutor was quick in opening an investigation into the circumstances of the collapse. A judge, as well as the judicial police have also begun an investigation.


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