Morocco Mourns 24 People Killed in Road Accident in Central Province
(AWP) - Morocco mourned 24 people on Sunday evening after they were killed in a traffic accident after their minibus plunged into a ravine in a mountainous area near the city of Azilal.
Local authorities said that the victims were on their way to attend the weekly market in the nearby city of Demnate, when their vehicle overturned and fell down a steep mountain slope.
Eyewitnesses said that the victims were invited to Demnate by a local resident who had just returned from performing Hajj.
They added that the vehicle’s driver "may have had a car malfunction and did not use the brakes at the bend, causing it to fall down the mountain. Some of [the victims] were accompanied by their children or siblings."
The accident is one of the worst road disasters in Morocco since 23 people were killed and 36 wounded in a similar bus accident in the city of Khouribga, east of Casablanca, last August.
According to official statistics, there were around 3209 road accident fatalities in Morocco last year.