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Rabat – A pilot was killed on Thursday after a Civil Protection firefighting aircraft crashed while assisting efforts to contain a forest fire in the Maâmora Forest near Temara, on the outskirts of Rabat.
The aircraft was taking part in an aerial mission to monitor the spread of the wildfire and support ground firefighting teams when it went down in the forested area near a residential neighborhood. The pilot died at the scene after the aircraft crashed.
According to preliminary information, the pilot reportedly lost control of the aircraft before it suddenly plunged into the forest. Residents rushed to the crash site in an attempt to assist, but the pilot had already succumbed to his injuries.
The deceased pilot served as a military engineering pilot with the Royal Gendarmerie and was operating the aircraft as part of ongoing efforts to combat forest fires.
The crash triggered a large-scale emergency response, with local and regional authorities, Royal Gendarmerie officers, Civil Protection teams, and personnel from the National Agency for Water and Forests arriving at the scene. Officials established a security perimeter around the wreckage and conducted searches to ensure no additional victims were involved.
Moroccan authorities have opened an investigation under the supervision of the competent public prosecutor’s office to determine the technical and operational circumstances that led to the crash.
Investigators are expected to examine the aircraft’s wreckage as part of the inquiry into the fatal accident, which has prompted an outpouring of grief among Civil Protection personnel.
