An explosion at the Mokhtar Soussi Dam construction site, located 100km east of Taroudant province in Morocco, resulted in the deaths of five workers on Sunday evening.
A statement from the Ahl Tifnoute municipality confirmed that the explosion occurred in an irrigation tunnel, trapping the workers inside. The blast caused debris to block the tunnel’s access, while toxic gases, reportedly released from gas welding equipment, complicated rescue operations.
The municipality shared a video showing local authorities, including the Royal Gendarmeries, Civil Protection teams, Auxiliary Forces, and a rescue team from the Zgounder mine, working overnight to recover the victims.
“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,” read a statement on the municipality’s Facebook page.
“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 statement added.
According to a report by Hespress, the workers included two employees from the Souss-Massa Water Basin Agency and three from a private company involved in the dam project. The report also stated that the workers were summoned on short notice to address a problem in the irrigation tunnel.
Idriss Atik, a cousin of one of the victims, said the workers were deployed to fix an issue related to the dam and were attempting to remove a metal piece stuck in the tunnel using a gas cylinder for welding when the explosion occurred. Atik expressed concern about the rescue delays, saying: “The limited rescue resources contributed to delays,” and called for an investigation into the incident.
A commune official from Ahl Tafnout 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.”
Authorities have stated that investigations into the cause of the explosion are ongoing.
