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Rabat – A man drilling a well lost his life late at night between Tuesday and Wednesday in the village of Agdez in the Zagora province, southern Morocco.
The 37-year old man who died was buried alive due to the collapse of a well he was drilling, converging reports have indicated, adding that the man was working for someone to dig and clean the well.
The rescue team rushed to the scene following the collapse of the well’s wall, where the deceased was trapped deep inside.
The event came a year after the tragic Rayan incident. Last year in February, a five-year-old boy fell in a well near the city of Chefchaouen in northwestern Morocco.
Rayan died after spending five days trapped in the well, causing fury, frustration, and shock worldwide.
The situation renewed a long sidelined debate over the security of wells in Morocco, with many outraged Moroccans calling on the government to step up efforts to address the situation of illegal holes and wells across the country.
Following Rayan’s tragic loss, the government promised the launch of a “complete” census to detect illegal wells posing a threat to the safety and security of citizens and residents.
Amid the nationwide uproar in the aftermath of Rayan’s tragic death, Abdelaziz Zerouali, the director of Water Research and Planning at the Ministry of Equipment, vowed that a census of illegal wells would be carried out to avoid a repeat of the Rayan tragedy.
The Ministry of Equipment had provided strict instructions to relevant agencies to detect abandoned wells, Zerouali said, stressing that authorities would soon carry out the census and send formal notice to take the necessary measures to protect people and animals at risk.
