Tragic Accident: 4-Year-Old Dies on Broken Escalator at Rabat Train Station

A wish to discover the train he did not know becomes a reality, but ends in tragedy. "His father did not hesitate for a moment to respond to his request by taking him to the Rabat-Agdal station to make a round trip to Kenitra," recounts the child’s mother in a post on the Instagram page "Justice for Omar". Things will not go as planned. "Back in Rabat, they headed towards the open escalator on the day of the tragedy, which was not subject to any signage or barrier despite its breakdown. It was only a few steps before reaching the upper floor that Omar, alongside his father, fell. A 10-meter fall that cost him his life, and mine," continues the devastated mother.

An anonymous source close to the case recounts the facts. "There was an escalator used by football fans, who broke a window. So we condemned this escalator and stopped it, it was no longer working, while waiting to change the window," she explains to Hespress. She continues: "The escalator was closed to use, with signage and marking prohibiting access. Under improbable circumstances, the child took this escalator with his father (the mother was not there), and the regrettable accident occurred. Recordings attesting to all this exist and have been handed over to the investigators."

The 4-year-old child fell into the void from a height of 10 meters from the ground while climbing the escalator, part of whose glass railing had been removed. Upon arrival, the rescue teams took care of the little boy. He suffered a hemorrhage. While the Civil Protection teams were transporting him to the Ibn Sina Children’s Hospital, he succumbed to his injuries. His death led to the opening of a thorough investigation ordered by the public prosecutor, in order to elucidate the circumstances of this accident and determine the responsibilities. Its conclusions are awaited by ONCF.