Showing posts with label Fatalities. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fatalities. Show all posts

Monday, October 17, 2016

Appeal For Moulay Idriss Flood Victims


This week the town of Moulay Idriss experienced flash floods in which at least 2 teenagers lives were lost and many homes damaged. The View From Fez is joining Rose Button in raising funds to assist families whose homes were damaged


Rose has met with 7 families whose homes were very badly damaged and who have lost nearly everything.

The immediate need is for blankets and replacement of basic food supplies like oil, tea, coffee, flour, milk and sugar.


There are 3 homes which need work to fix walls damaged by the flash flood, improve drainage and to support an elderly couple to clear there room of mud caked on walls, the floor and even the ceiling.

One home is that of a single mum with 4 children who have lost everything- so we will also replace the white goods and arrange for a plumber and electrician to ensure the appliances are safe.

These families do not have spare money - in total 30 adults and children will be supported. These families are delighted and relieved to have our support.


We will also provide a donation to the families that lost their children in the flash flood. We are looking to raise €500-1000 and even a small €10 donation will make a difference to the community.

Please assist by making a donation via PayPal (darzerhoune@gmail.com). It can be in any currency.

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Friday, August 12, 2016

Morocco's Scorpion Problem

For over twenty years Morocco has been tackling the problem of scorpions in the south of the country. The recent death of a young boy from the village of Tamri, 30 kilometres from Agadir, highlights the need for ongoing education and a quicker medical response


In the latest incident the boy's father called for an ambulance but was told it did not have enough petrol for the journey. Eventually the father raised the money for fuel but on arrival at the hospital Hassan II in Agadir, some reports claim that admission was delayed because of a lack of the father's ID.

Whatever the truth, the boy died. According to health officials there are around 30,000 scorpion bites reported each year with a third of them in the Marrakech region. Over 80% of the bites occur inside houses at night between May and September.


In nine out of ten cases the bites are only mild as of the 30 species of scorpions found in Morocco, only one can cause fatalities. Statistics suggest that out of some 3,000 bites this year, 500 have required intensive care treatment.

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Sunday, July 17, 2016

At Least 4 Moroccans Died in Attack in Nice

(UPDATED)

Moroccan consular sources are reporting that at least four Moroccans were killed in the Thursday evening attack in Nice

This provisional assessment is yet to be confirmed by the French authorities. However, the indications are that the Moroccan victims included a 13-year-old girl, and two women, one aged 43, the other 49 and a man aged 50. All of the victims were resident in France

Another Moroccan child is said to have been seriously wounded in the attack.

An information service has been put in place at the Consulate General of Morocco in Marseille to gather information on possible victims in Nice, This monitoring mechanism is also in constant contact with the Embassy of Morocco in France.

Meanwhile, many Moroccans are preferring to stay in Morocco with large numbers crowding the beaches as the hot weather and post-Ramadan holidays are enjoyed across the Kingdom.

Moroccan's are choosing the safety of their own beaches for their holidays

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Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Twelve year old "miracle girl" found alive after floating for 24 hours

Twelve year old Ikram is being described as a miracle girl for surviving in the ocean for 24 hours after being swept out to sea in Oued Cherrat  The girl was found alive Monday after being spotted by Moroccan police searching the area for bodies of children who drowned on Sunday

Miraculously, Ikram floated on the surface of the water, says a media source, adding that the girl was immediately evacuated to Rabat Avicenne hospital to receive the necessary care.

On Wednesday, the body of a 15 year old was found on the beach in Skhirat  bringing the death toll to eight. The body of the driver, drowned after saving two children, was also found Wednesday.

Despite the fact that the children's coach, Mustapha Amrani, president of the sports association, has been detained, the victims' families refuse press for compensation. The man is esteemed by parents and children and involved personally in their education. He has always been very concerned about their future, says a source in Benslimane.

Amrani rescued several children from drowning. Today, the families of the victims said the responsibility lies with local authorities for not having placed  a sign to prevent access to the beach or having lifeguards to monitor swimmers.

The coach, who refuses to eat since his detention, was evacuated today to Temara hospital, where he is in intensive care. The man could be prosecuted for manslaughter.

The tragedy occurred early Sunday afternoon when the children from the town of Benslimane were on an unguarded beach at Oued Cherrat. (See original story here)

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Sunday, June 07, 2015

Tragedy at Bouznika Beach - 11 Children Drown


Eleven children were swept away today at the Bouznika beach.The Le360 website reports that five bodies were recovered and a search is ongoing to find the others



The victims, believed to be between 12 and 17 years of age, were swept away by a violent wave while they were trying to swim at the beach near Oued Cherrate not far from Rabat.

The children are believed to be part of a forty-six member Taekwondo club from Benslimane who had headed to the beach for relief from the very hot weather. Some children were rescued and admitted to hospital. According to some accounts, two helicopters were quickly on the scene to locate other missing children.

An investigation was opened into the incident under the supervision of the competent prosecutor and the Interior Minister went on site to oversee the search and rescue operations.

See update on "miracle girl" survival after 24 hours at sea.


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Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Moroccan F16 Lost in Yemen


Hours after the announcement of the disappearance of a F16 of the Moroccan Royal Armed Forces (FAR) in Yemen, photos published by Houthis began circulating on social networks. FAR say they can not authenticate these images 


In  a statement issued this morning (May 12,) FAR states that " authentication of this flood of information and confirmation that it is the missing pilot and aircraft are made ​​difficult by the fact that the the crash is in enemy territory."


FAR confirmed that the missing pilot is Lieutenant Yassine Bahti, aged 26 from Casablanca.

Lieutenant Yassine Bahti 

Houthi rebels claim to have shot down the fighter. A politburo member of Ansar Allah, Daif Chami, said the Houthis had shot down "a Moroccan fighter in the province of Saada."

The family of the pilot Moroccan Yassine Bahti are reported as being deeply affected by rumours that their loved one is dead albeit with no official announcement or confirmation.

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Friday, March 27, 2015

Sad Moroccan Footnote to Germanwings Tragedy


The news that the co-pilot of the Germanwings A320 is suspected of deliberately crashing the aircraft brought back memories of another tragedy in Morocco back on August 21, 1994.


During a Casablanca-Agadir flight, the pilot of an ATR-42 Royal Air Morocco deliberately crashed his plane in the Atlas mountains near Tizounine. The crash caused the death of 44 people on board, including four crew members and twenty foreigners. A son of the businessman Miloud Chaabi was among the victims.

The cockpit recorder indicated that the last words of the first officer were registering surprise that the captain had deviated from the flight plan to which the captain responded "die, die ...". The captain, Younes Khayati, was found to have been "disappointed in love".

Moroccan victims

A newly married Moroccan couple headed for a new life in Germany were on the Germanwings plane a relative said.

"Mohamed Ettahrioui, 24, and his bride, Asmae Ouahoud El Allaoui, 23, were killed" in Tuesday's crash of the Airbus A320 bound from the Spanish city of Barcelona to Dusseldorf in Germany, Abdelhalim al-Boujoufi, a cousin of the groom, told Agence France-Presse.

"They were married in Barcelona on Saturday with their families there," he said.

The Moroccan consul in Barcelona, Yassine Fares, told the country's Medias24 website the couple were about "to start their new married life" in the Dusseldorf area.

The bride had grown up in Spain while her groom lived the past four years in Germany, according to Moroccan media.

Search and rescue officers in the French Alps hope to identify Asmae El Allaoui from the henna she had applied for her wedding.

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Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Casablanca's Hotel Lincoln Falls - Takes Another life


A Casablanca icon, in ruins for twenty years, has had another collapse and tragically taken the life of a local man. The Lincoln Hotel partially fell on Monday at dawn, leaving one dead and two wounded


Built in 1917 by the French architect Hubert Bride, the Lincoln hotel was a symbol of Casablanca's past. The Arabesque Art Deco building had a colourful history including being home to American spies during World War II when it was OSS HQ.

The scene this morning - Photo: Yassine-Toumi

Although having been abandoned for more than two decades, there had been constant calls for its preservation and restoration, especially from thew conservation group, the Association Casamémoire. Architectural activists, city authorities and the Ministry of Culture had prevented the destruction of the façade, and the site was named a National Historic Landmark which ensured that the landowner could not tear down the building. The landowner allowed squatters to occupy the hotel in hopes that the infrastructure would not hold up to their occupation and the building might disintegrate naturally.


In 1989, a partial collapse killed two people. Several other parts subsequently collapsed under the impact of time and weather, including one in 2004 that resulted in the death of a homeless man.

Casablanca has a history of building collapses with many badly constructed apartment threatening to collapse. In July 2014, 23 people died and 55 were injured in the collapse of three buildings in the Burgundy area.

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Monday, December 08, 2014

Death of Abdellah Baha in Tragic Accident


State Minister Abdellah Baha, one of the closest collaborators of the Head of the Moroccan PJD Government Abdelilah Benkirane, died Sunday night in an accident


According to deputy secretary-general of the PJD, Slimane El Amrani, who visited the scene of the accident, between Rabat and Casablanca, "the accident occurred around 6 pm in the city of Bouznika. He was crossing the road and hit by a train he had apparently not seen. It occurred while he was checking the same location where Ahmed Zaidi, one of the charismatic leaders of the USFP, died last month when he drowned in his car under a bridge.

According to a statement from his party, the accident occurred when the Minister of State was out of his vehicle. Questions are being asked as to why he parked his car and walked in an area with bad visibility. The death was confirmed in a separate statement by the Ministry of the Interior, who mentioned "a railway accident".

The exact circumstances of the death of Abdellah Baha are not yet clear and in order to determine the cause a team of the Royal Gendarmerie have been asked to investigate. The investigations are being conducted under the control of the competent public prosecutor according to a statement from the Interior Ministry. The place of death has been sealed off by the gendarmerie to gather possible clues to explaining the tragic death of the Minister of State.

Several ministers also visited the site, while the tributes flowed quickly. According to the official page of the PJD Facebook, the funeral will be held Tuesday. Aged 60, Abdellah Baha was nicknamed the "black box" of the PJD by the media because of his strategic position within the party, his knowledge of political issues and its proximity to Abdelilah Benkirane.

Mr. Baha has served as deputy secretary general of the Justice and Development Party (PJD), since 2004. He was MP for Rabat for three consecutive terms, beginning in the 2002 legislative elections.

This native of Souss was vice-speaker of the House of Representatives (2007), Head of PJD Group (2003/2006) and President of the Commission of Justice, Legislation and Human Rights (2002/2003).

Member of the Executive Office of the uniqueness and Reform Movement (MUR), he was director of publication of the daily “Attajdid”, as well as “Al Islah” and “Arraya.”


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Monday, November 24, 2014

Flash Floods ~ 31 People Washed Away


Flash flooding in southern Morocco has reportedly killed at least 31 people, with many others still missing. Heavy storms have swept across several regions including Marrakesh, where torrential rain destroyed many mud homes on Sunday.

Roads and highways were blocked off, making it hard for emergency crews to reach people. A girl of nine was among those who had been swept away by the raging waters of the Tamsourt River, media reports said.

Around 100 mud-brick homes were partly or totally destroyed and 100 roads, including six national highways, were cut off in the floods, officials said.

It was forecast that more than 100 millimetres of rain would fall, but nothing has been done. They just waited for the catastrophe to unfold.~ Brahim Boulid, Journalist

The "exceptional" storms also swept across the regions of Guelmim, Agadir and Ouarzazate, and a search was under way for the missing, the authorities said.

Journalist Brahim Boulid, reporting from Guelmim,said that the death toll stood at 31, including eight members of the same family who died after floods swept away their vehicle.

The Arabic-language dailies Al Massae and Al Ahdath gave death tolls of 16 and 22 respectively.


About 130 all-terrain rescue vehicles and 335 Zodiac inflatables and other boats were being used, the interior ministry said, in a statement carried by Morocco's MAP news agency.

The agency said at least 14 people remained missing in Guelmim, 200km south of Agadir. The national weather service warned that an alert over more heavy rainfall would remain in place until midday on Monday. It said about 100 mud-brick homes were partly or totally destroyed in the south, and 100 roads cut off, including six national highways.


Boulid told Al Jazeera that authorities were warned that the amount of rainfall would trigger floods but chose to ignore them.

"It was forecast that more than 100 millimetres of rain would fall, but nothing has been done. They just waited for the catastrophe to unfold," Boulid said.

Flash floods are common in Morocco, where four children drowned in the south in September, when they were swept away.

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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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Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Music Lovers Mourn the Passing of Paco de Lucia


Back on Sunday, June 09, 2013. the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music presented a wonderful concert by Paco de Lucia. Now comes the sad news that the master of the Spanish guitar died in Mexico at the age of 66



Paco de Lucia dazzled audiences with his lightning-speed flamenco rhythms and finger work. Born Dec. 21, 1947, de Lucia — whose real name was Francisco Sanchez Gomez — was best-known for flamenco but also experimented with other genres of music. One of his most famous recordings was Friday Night in San Francisco, recorded with fellow guitarists John McLaughlin and Al Di Meola in 1981.

During the 1960s and 1970s, he formed an extremely popular duo with late flamenco singer legend Camaron de la Isla.

His 1973 rumba Entre Dos Aguas (Between Two Waters) became one of the most popular recordings in Spain.

De Lucia was awarded the Culture Ministry's Fine Arts Gold Medal in 1992 and the prestigious Prince of Asturias prize for the Arts in 2004.

A spokeswoman for the town hall of de Lucia's native Spanish town of Algeciras said de Lucia family members had told them the artist died of a heart attack. She said he began to feel unwell while on a beach in Cancun with his child and died while being taken to a local hospital.



The official spoke on condition of anonymity as town hall regulations do not allow her to be identified publicly

Describing the death as unexpected and premature, Spanish Education and Culture Minister Jose Ignacio Wert said he was "a unique and unrepeatable figure."

Paco de Lucia was an inspiration to many Moroccan musicians including Fez oud and guitar player and coordinator of the ALC-ALIF Music Club, Hamza El Fasiki. who learned his guitar technique by watching video clips of of Paco's playing.

"His guitar has been silenced - he was my teacher, companion in music, a creative inspiration and motivation ... I feel sad" ~ Hamza El Fasiki.

Paco de Lucia signing Hamza's guitar in 2013

Hamza was saddened by Paco's early death. "I followed everything about the way he played - his philosophy, the way sat, His finger action, even the way he cut his nails. He will be sadly missed."

Paco's signature on Hamza's guitar


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Monday, October 28, 2013

House Collapse in Rcif


A partial house collapse in Rcif has left one person missing and five people in hospital. Rachida El Joukh reports for The View from Fez (See late update at foot of story)
Police, fire and ambulance officers were quickly on the scene

The collapse happened Monday morning (Oct 28). According to local people workmen was doing building work to the external walls of the building in Derb Sidi El Aoued, off the main Rcif taxi area, when they saw the entire building beginning to move. They managed to escape the  collapse when the top floor crashed down into the second floor. The old building, a former foundouk, collapsed due to overload, after being transformed into a workshop for making traditional shoes.

The ground floor, which was used to house donkeys, was also not impacted and the animals were not in the building at the time.

Rescue teams searching through the rubble

One man, named only as Hamid 'l'fissal", a babouche (slipper) maker, who was working with others in a room on the top floor is missing and a search continues in the rubble. Police quickly discovered his phone number and rang it. The phone was heard ringing but when they dug through to it there was no sign of Hamid.

Initial reports claimed that seven people had been injured. Later the number was reduced to five. Some of the five taken to hospital are said to be in a serious condition. It is believed they were also babouche makers. One is said is to be a woman. The malaam (boss) of the babouche workers had a lucky escape as he was outside the building at the time of the disaster.

The owner of the building, named as "Rabeh", arrived and was questioned by police as they believed he had no building permission.

This report will be updated when further information comes to hand.

UPDATE:  According to sources at the Hassan II Hospital, the missing man "Hamid" was found alive in the rubble and is expected to make a full recovery. Of the other victims only three are said to be in a serious condition.

 News report in Arabic
Reporting: Rachida El Joukh
Main photograph: Suzanna Clarke

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Monday, August 12, 2013

Moroccan News Briefs #102


Marrakech ~ Tourism numbers are good

Despite the summer heat, the first half of 2013 is showing that tourism numbers are on the rise.


The Marrakech Regional Tourism Council (CRT) says "Indicators of tourism are actually green. Between January and June 2013 Marrakech recorded growth rates of 21% for arrivals and 17% for nights, for all nationalities.

Hotel occupancy and average stay rate rose from 44% in 2012 to 53%, a gain of 9 points.

However, the Spanish market has experienced a decline due to the economic recession in the Iberian Peninsula. On the other hand, German tourists jumped 27%, while British citizens are up 19%, 11% Italians, Scandinavians 41% and Swiss 31%.

The French market and the domestic market recorded a growth of respectively 12% and 17%.


A Panamanian Embassy to be opened in Morocco by 2014

The Panamanian government plans to open an embassy in 2014 in Morocco to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries, said the Panamanian Foreign Minister, Fernando Nunez.

Panamanian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Fernando Nunez Fabrega.

The decision to open an embassy in Morocco was taken by the Panamanian government with the aim of strengthening trade, investment and diplomatic relations between the two countries, the minister said in a letter to the National Assembly Panama (Parliament).

Mr. Nunez said that Morocco is a gateway to Panama to North Africa with particular reference to achievements in the Kingdom at the strengthening of democracy, economic development and the importance of its infrastructure port. In the same context, the minister said his country also plans to open an embassy in Turkey.

Recently the foreign minister went on the record supporting Morocco over the issue of Moroccan Sahara.

Panama supports the process of negotiations on the Sahara under the auspices of the United Nations in respect of the territorial integrity of the Kingdom, said the Panamanian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Fernando Nunez Fabrega, quoted on Sunday by the Panamanian newspaper "La Estrella," Nunez Fabrega said that the Moroccan autonomy plan for the southern provinces is "an initiative that should be addressed by the parties in a spirit of openness, pragmatism and realism. The settlement of the conflict over the Sahara is an urgent demand of the international community," as the instability in the Sahel-Saharan region constitutes a "threat" to all the countries in the region, added the Panamanian Foreign Minister.

In addition, the Panamanian minister said that "Morocco, which has made democratic advances, stands out as a model for other Arab countries," expressing his country's willingness to conclude with the Kingdom cooperation agreements in the fields of "agriculture, commercial port and the fight against terrorism."


HM King sends condolence message

Sixteen members of the Royal Guard were killed, 42 others were wounded, eight seriously injured in a bus accident on Saturday between Tetouan and Al Hoceima.


The accident occurred after the driver of the bus lost control of the vehicle when approaching a dangerous curve. The vehicle then dropped from an altitude of 200m, according to the civil protection authorities.

King Mohammed VI sent messages of condolence to the families of the victims and the injured and announced to support the funeral and hospital expenses.


Fez police forced to use firearm

It is unusual for the police in Morocco to use their weapons, however, on Saturday morning a policeman in the Fez Benslimane neighbourhood was forced to use his handgun while attempting to arrest three suspects during a robbery at knifepoint.


It all started when the police tried to stop the assault on an employee of a hotel, attacked by three men trying to steal his phone and money.

The police intervened but the attackers refuse to comply and surrender. Then one of the suspects attacked a police vehicle. The police responded with two warning shots. The criminals refused to surrender and, according to the police version relayed by the official news agency, MAP, one man was shot and was pronounced dead at a local hospital. The second suspect was arrested while the third  managed to flee but is the subject of a major search. Judicial police have opened an investigation.


Cinema in Fez

Monday & Friday @ 6pm @ Cafe Clock

 Andalousie Mon Amour  Directed by Mohammed Monsif with Youssef Britel, Muhammed Nadif, Asmae Alhadrami.  The movie is in Darija with French subtitles. (free)



 Hotel Rwanda Directed by Terry George with Xolani Mali, Don Cheadle, Sophie Okonedo.  The movie is in English with French subtitles. (free)



Islamophobic Australian Political Candidate Forced to Quit ~ Because of Stupidity


A candidate for an extremist political party One Nation has been forced out of running in the next elections in September after making a series of mind-bogglingly stupid remarks.


Stephanie Banister, 27, was campaigning for two days when she made ​​the gaffe during an interview on Australian television Seven Network. Her remarks indicating that she thought "Islam was a country" went viral on the Internet, where she has been nicknamed "Sarah Palin Australian", referring to the clueless former running mate of Republican candidate John McCain in 2008.

"Jews aren't under haram, they have their own religion which follows Jesus Christ" 

But by comparison Stephanie Banister makes Palin look positively intelligent. "I have nothing against Islam as a country, but I really feel that their laws should not be accepted here in Australia," she had said during the interview. The young woman also claimed that only 2% of Australians followed the precepts of "haram". She was apparently referring to the Holy Quran.

She was also totally confused and perplexed by the Jews and had no idea why they ate kosher food. "Jews do not follow haram. They have their own religion that follows Jesus Christ,"she continued. Her gaffe will be news to Jews as Judaism does not consider Jesus as Messiah.

Ms Banister was recently arrested and charged after she plastered stickers on Nestle products in a Brisbane shopping centre saying ''halal food funds terrorism'' The matter is still before a court.

Stephanie Banister became a laughing stock around the country and on Saturday announced that she would not run for a parliamentary seat in the state of Queensland. The young mother of two said she was the victim of an edited interview designed to make her appear to be "a true idiot."

Thankfully, (despite an immigration policy that causes open-minded Australian's to cringe) most Australians are much better informed.


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Sunday, August 11, 2013

Sixteen Royal Guards Die ~ Forty-two Injured


Sixteen royal guards have died in a bus crash after the vehicle went off a road and plummeted 650 feet, Morocco's official news agency says.


The MAP agency reported that the accident happened pre-dawn on Saturday on a road linking two cities on Morocco's northern coast.

The report said the driver lost control of the bus at a bend, and the bus overturned and fell off the road.

In addition to the deaths, 42 guards were injured, eight of them seriously, and were hospitalized in Al Hoceima, northeast of the capital, Rabat.

The king sent a messages of condolences to the families of the victims and decided to take on all the costs for the burials as well as the medical fees of those injured in the accident.

Morocco World News notes that the link between the coastal strip of Tetouan and Al Hoceima is risky because of the mountainous nature of the region. The road accidents caused by military and security forces are not very common in Morocco.

In parliamentary session last March, Morocco’s head of government, Abdelilah Benkirane, said that road accidents cost the state a heavy bill estimated at 14 billion dirhams ($ 1,7 Billion) per year, 2% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). He added that Morocco occupies the first rank in the Arab world, and 6th rank worldwide in road accidents.


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Monday, March 18, 2013

Two More Tragic Road Accidents in Morocco



The number of bus and truck accidents on Moroccan roads in recent years has been a cause for concern to authorities and the travelling public. Now another twelve people have died in the last two days.


The scene at the Sidi Bennour accident

An accident, which took place this morning, occurred when a bus bound for Rabat overturned after failing to take a corner on a road near the outskirts of Sidi Bennour, in El Jadida (100 km south of Casablanca). Seven people died on the scene.

According to hospital sources, nineteen of the passengers sustained light injuries, while another seven with serious injuries were taken to hospital.

The tragic scene at Tarfaya

This accident comes only one day after the deaths of another five people in Tarfaya on Sunday. According to the news website “Smarapress”,  five young people died Sunday afternoon on the national road between Laayoune and Tarfaya, in southern Morocco. 

The victims were on their way to Trafya when their car cashed with a truck coming from the opposite direction.

The casualities, who were immediately taken to Maoualy Hassan bel Mahdi hospital in Laayoune, are four males and a young girl. They were all students at Laayoune’s Institute of Technology.


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