Morocco Beach Safety Crisis: 53 Drowning Deaths, Over 8,000 Rescues in Summer 2019

Figures that alarm more than one and which result only from the first three months of the summer of 2019. According to Le Matin, these figures should actually increase, during the months of August and September, due to the large influx of vacationers to the beaches.

The data from the General Directorate of Civil Protection, published by the media Assahra Al Maghribia, place the Tanger-Tétouan-Al Hoceima region at the top of the ranking with 4,296 cases of drowning (4,284 people saved and 12 dead). Then comes the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region, which recorded 1,411 drownings, with 1,402 people rescued and 9 deceased. For its part, the Casablanca-Settat region recorded 1,203 cases of drowning, of which 1,187 people were rescued while 12 others were declared dead and 4 were considered missing.

To improve the results of the rescue operations, which, moreover, have allowed a marked improvement in the quality of the services this year, the General Directorate of Civil Protection has recruited 3,315 seasonal lifeguards for the summer season 2019, supervised by 211 civil protection professionals.

With the mission of securing vacationers on the beaches and strengthening guard and intervention operations, they have benefited from targeted training in the fields of rescue methods, first aid and communication and awareness techniques, under the supervision of civil protection, which explains the effectiveness of the interventions of the elements from this institution, indicates the newspaper.