Fatal Wrong-Way Crash on A9 Motorway Claims Lives of Two Moroccan Brothers

The vehicle of the two Bougteb brothers violently collided with a car driving in the wrong direction on the A9 motorway, near Roquemaure (Gard). The driver, a septuagenarian, also died, reports Le Dauphine. From a family of six children, the Bougteb brothers, born in Morocco, had been living for several years in the town of Saint-Rambert-d’Albon where they occupied an apartment, avenue de Lyon.

The tragic death of Yassine and Zakaria has caused great emotion in the Moroccan community of Saint-Rambert-d’Albon. An online kitty has already been launched on the Leetchi site to help their loved ones. "It’s hard, very hard! We will keep in memory their way of knowing how to help people," says Jamal, their cousin living in Normandy, who recalls that "Yassine had arrived from Morocco six years ago and Zakaria had joined him two years ago." The two worked hard to help their parents in Morocco. "Mechanics was their passion," Jamal points out.

The two brothers were very popular at the Café du Midi, the usual gathering place for the Moroccan community of Saint-Rambert-d’Albon. "I knew them very well," says Rachid, the owner of the bar, who considers them as two "trouble-free and hardworking" friends. "To die in this way when they were not responsible at all, it’s tragic!" laments for his part Gérard Oriol, the mayor of the municipality who announced the sad news to their loved ones. "The atmosphere was heavy... But my role was to give them all my support."

Yassine leaves behind a wife and a little girl. His brother Zakaria was single. The bodies of the two young men should be repatriated to Morocco. An investigation has been opened to determine the causes and circumstances of the accident.