Illegal Tangier Textile Workshop Tragedy: Officials and Owner Under Scrutiny

Several inspection, security and administrative commissions went to the Bni Makada district in Tangier to investigate this deadly flood of February 8. The daily Al Ahdath Al Maghribia reports that the investigations carried out prove for the moment that the fault lies with the officials who authorized the construction in 1980 in this area considered as flood-prone, which was moreover surrounded by wet land.

The investigation was also directed towards Amendis, the delegated company for the distribution of water, electricity and liquid sanitation. The members of the inspection commissions went to several employees of the sanitation service to determine the role of the company in the maintenance of the sewage network and the degree of its preparation to deal with emergency situations. The investigations are mainly aimed at verifying whether Amendis had properly followed the procedures in force before supplying the textile workshop with electricity for industrial needs.

The preliminary investigation had shown that it was not a clandestine workshop since, according to the regional authorities, the factory was registered in the trade register, declared to the tax authorities and to the CNSS. The owner of the workshop, currently in pre-trial detention, will be subjected to a more detailed interrogation on March 9.