By rosebell
Located in Aouzioua, 100km east of Taroudant province, Morocco, explosion at the Mokhtar Soussi Dam construction site, resulted in the death of five workers.
While the workers trapped inside the tunnel, it exploded on 27 January evening as the Ahl Tifnoute municipality stated.
Considering that following the explosion the debris blocked the tunnel’s access, and the toxic gases were released from the gas welding equipment, rescue efforts were delayed due to the tunnel’s narrow structure and the high concentration of gas and the bodies of five workers were recovered.
The municipality shared a video showing local authorities, including the Royal Gendarmeries and Civil Protection teams, and others working throughout the night to reach the workers.
According to the community’s statement on the Facebook page: “After numerous attempts, the bodies of the five victims, who were trapped inside a tunnel at the Mokhtar Soussi Dam due to an explosion and a subsequent gas leak, were recovered around 4:00 am. Efforts to reach the victims lasted for many hours, involving the local authority led by Aouzioua, members of the Royal Gendarmerie, Civil Protection, Auxiliary Forces, a rescue team from the Zgounder Mine, volunteers, and workers.”
The five workers, included two agency employees and three from a private company involved in the dam project.
In accordance with Idriss Atik, a cousin of one of the victims, the reason that Souss-Massa Water Basin Agency deployed the workers was to fix an issue in the irrigation tunnel related to the dam and when the deadly explosion occurred, the workers were trying to remove a metal piece stuck within the tunnel using a gas cylinder for welding.
Atik criticised that the limited rescue resources contributed to delays and called for an investigation into the reason for the explosion.
The Ahl Tafnout commune official told Hespress: “Preliminary reports suggest the incident involved the explosion of one or more gas cylinders used by the workers for welding, though the precise reason for the blast is still unclear. The depth of the tunnel, around 400m, combined with the intensity of the gas, has complicated rescue operations. Additional rescue teams from the Zgounder mine in the Askaoun region have been deployed to assist. In such incidents, it is necessary to fully understand the circumstances and root causes.”
