Although the official estimates were lower it is now believed that a fire this morning in a Casablanca mattress factory has injured a dozen people and killed at least 55 people. Over one hundred fire-fighters took part in the attempt to quell the blaze. One of the seriously injured is a police officer.
The domestic MAP news agency, citing the emergency services, said the fire broke out on the ground floor of the four-storey Rosamor Furniture plant at around 10 a.m. (1000 GMT), when 155 employees were present.
The cause of the blaze is suspected to be an accident but an investigation is under way and the owner of the plant and his son, who was its manager, are being questioned as prosecutors open an investigation.
In an AFP report a fire-fighter is quoted as saying "The people who died were either asphyxiated or burned."
The flames spread quickly due to the highly flammable nature of the materials used to make mattresses, MAP reported.
A police official is quoted as saying that windows at the factory had been fitted with iron bars, making escape difficult for those trapped inside.
King Mohammed VI ordered the authorities "to take all necessary measures to help the victims," including the mobilisation of burns units at hospitals all over Morocco, including the elite military hospital in the capital Rabat.
Interior Minister Chakib Benmoussa, who visited the scene, described the scene as "catastrophic".
He said prosecutors had asked the judicial police to look into "the circumstances of this disaster and to examine the working conditions (at the plant) with a view to establishing responsibility"
Photo: AFP
Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
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