Deadly Flood in Tangier Exposes Illegal Textile Workshops, Sparks Outrage

The emotion is intense on social networks. Internet users do not understand how and under what conditions, clandestine workshops are proliferating in certain regions of Morocco. The Tangier drama could not be the last if the authorities do not take the measure of the situation.

In a statement released on Monday morning, the wilaya of the Tanger-Tétouan-Al Hoceima region indicated that the unit where the tragedy took place was located in the basement of a villa in the Hay Alinas neighborhood, in the El Mers area. The tragedy occurred because the basement "suffered an infiltration of rainwater" which "surrounded some" of its occupants. The unit would illegally employ more than 130 people, according to the first information relayed by the local press. Internet users and some members of civil society do not understand such an aberration and this total lack of firmness from the local authorities.

The Tangier tragedy has put the spotlight on the "misery workshops" of the textile sector, a pillar of the Moroccan economy, where often underpaid workers work at breakneck speeds, and in largely insufficient safety conditions. Apart from that, these clandestine workshops escape all control: tax evasion, wage cuts, non-payment of social security contributions, non-compliance with regulations on working conditions.

The owner of this clandestine workshop, also surprised by the rainwater, survived, but was arrested on Monday afternoon by the police. An investigation has been opened by the competent authorities to elucidate the circumstances of this incident, identify the responsibilities, and identify all the people involved, whatever position they occupy.