Tragic Accident: Spanish Franciscan Priest Dies in Morocco Convent Mishap

Antonio Alcalde, who perished in this accident, was 78 years old. The only Spaniard remaining in this congregation, which still has six convents in Morocco, he had spent a quarter of a century in the Kingdom.

The cause of the tragedy was a sliding metal door installed by the convent where the Franciscan lived, but which, according to the Spanish daily Ultima Hora, "had not yet been fixed with precision". The newspaper details that it was when "the monk and a second person outside the convent were trying to close the door, which had been left open, that it fell off its axis and crushed the priest, who once taken to the hospital succumbed to his injuries".

For its part, El Faro de Ceuta indicated that the person accompanying the Franciscan priest was the manager of the company in charge of restoring the metal door in question.

Ultima Hora notes that like all Franciscans and religious from other congregations present in northern Morocco, Antonio Alcalde was "very involved in helping migrants", mainly those from sub-Saharan Africa, who are numerous in this region due to its proximity to the city of Ceuta and the Strait of Gibraltar.

While a delegation representing the Council of the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region went to the site to present its condolences to the Catholic Church authorities in Tetouan, Huffpost indicates that an investigation has been opened to determine the exact circumstances of the tragedy.