RABAT, Morocco (AP) – Heavy rains have flooded an illegal garment factory in the northern Moroccan city of Tangier, killing at least 28 workers on Monday, state television quoted a medical official as saying.
This has increased the death toll from 24, previously reported by the Moroccan news agency MAP.
Local authorities said firefighters and emergency workers rescued 10 people from the factory in the basement of a residential villa. Rescuers were looking for others who could have been caught in the sudden floods.
The total number of workers on the site was not immediately known. An investigation has been opened.
An unidentified shaken woman who came out of the flooded basement told TanjaNews, a local website, that no one is prepared for the deadly flood.
“It simply came to our notice then. We were working as usual, “the woman said.” And then because it rained, as you can see … water started to come in, a little water, even my shoes didn’t get wet. But all of a sudden. .. ”He could not finish his sentence.
To meet growing international demand, many factories in Morocco, especially in Casablanca and Tangier, are relying on unregulated shady factories to accelerate production and meet deadlines. Factories outsource such illegal units to better compete with cheaper Chinese and Turkish products.
Such hidden factories are located mainly in residential areas and often employ up to 40 people, sometimes minors.
Long hours and low wages are a sign of such illegal activity, usually in unsafe conditions, without fire extinguishers, emergency exits and indoor plumbing.