Coal Mine Death Sparks Protests in Moroccan City of Jerada Despite Lockdown

The collapse of the mine resulted in the death of Mehdi Belouchi, in his thirties, who was working in the coal extraction cooperative, and caused injuries to his brother, reports Alyaoum24. Alerted, many young people from this city in the Oriental region went to the regional hospital to inquire about the circumstances of the victim’s death. According to the authorities of the city, the investigations are still ongoing in order to determine the causes of the accident and to know if the deceased was linked by an employment contract to the cooperative exploiting the coal mine.

Furthermore, the hasty burial of the victim provoked a wave of anger among the young people of the city. Two years ago, a similar incident had triggered a protest movement that resulted in the arrest of many demonstrators.

Faced with these tragedies that occur in these extraction mines, the inhabitants of Jerada have launched an appeal to the government of El Othmani, for the creation of alternative jobs to the death mines.