RABAT, Morocco (AP) – Heavy rains flooded an illegal clothing factory in the northern Moroccan city of Tangier, killing at least 28 workers, a medical official said on Monday.
It has increased the death toll to 24, previously reported by Moroccan news agency MAP.
Local authorities said firefighters and emergency workers rescued ten people from the factory in the basement of a residential villa. Rescuers searched for others who may have been trapped in the sudden flood.
The total number of workers at the site is not immediately known. An investigation has been opened.
A shaken unidentified woman who came out of the flooded basement told TanjaNews, a local site, that no one was prepared for the deadly avalanche.
“There was nothing to worry about. We worked as usual, “said the woman. And then because it was raining, as you can see … the water started to come in, a little water, even my shoes did not get wet. But suddenly … ”She could not finish her sentence.
To meet the growing international demand, numerous factories in Morocco, especially in Casablanca and Tangier, rely on unregulated shade factories to speed up production and meet deadlines. Factories subcontract such illegal units to better compete with cheaper Chinese and Turkish products.
Such hidden factories are located mainly in residential areas and up to 40 people often work in them, sometimes minors.
Long hours and low wages are a sign of such illegal work, usually in unsafe conditions, without fire extinguishers, emergency exits and indoor plumbing.