Body of Missing Moroccan Soccer Player Found Off Algerian Coast

The Algerian maritime authorities have recovered a body off the coast of Oran, Algeria, which would be that of Abdellatif Akhrif, a player who played for Ittihad Tanger in the Moroccan first division. On the web, a jet ski pilot shared a video showing a decomposing body floating near the Cap Falcon coast, in the Ain al-Trak region, on the outskirts of the Algerian city of Oran. This would be the body of Abdellatif Akhrif. Gaya Merbah, the Algerian goalkeeper of Ittihad Tanger, is said to have gone to the morgue and confirmed that the body was probably that of his teammate. The recovered body was wearing the same shorts that Akhrif was wearing when he was last seen swimming before his disappearance. The Moroccan authorities should, in coordination with their Algerian counterparts, organize the repatriation of the body found off the coast of Oran for identification and to determine if it is indeed that of Akhrif.

On July 6, five Ittihad Tanger players had rented a yacht for a sea outing, off the Restinga beach near Mdiq, in northern Morocco, near Gibraltar. But strong winds caused their boat to drift, leaving them in distress about 800 meters from the shore. Alerted, the Maritime Gendarmerie quickly intervened. It managed to rescue three of them: Oussama Aflah, Souleimane Dahdouh and Abdelhamid Maali. In contrast, their teammate Salman Harraq and Abdellatif Akhrif were reported missing.