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Casablanca : A 76-year-old woman dies after slipping in a flooded underground tunnel

A 76-year-old Moroccan woman died on Friday, December the 7th, after drowning in an underground tunnel full of water. Her body was found 24 hours later. Speaking to Yabiladi, her family urged the authorities to open an investigation.

Houda, the niece of Fatima, near the flooded tunnel where her aunt died./Ph. Mehdi Moussahim-Yabiladi
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While she was trying to catch the train at the Oasis railway station (Casablanca), Fatima, a 76 years old woman, died after trying to reach the facility through an underground tunnel full of water.  

Contacted by Yabiladi, her niece Houda said that her aunt left home on Friday morning. The deceased had to catch the train to go to Marrakech, where she was expected to spend the weekend at a friend's place.

Fatima took a taxi at around 8 am, which dropped her at the Mecca Boulevard. Once there, the woman took an underground subway which should have linked her to the main gate of the station, located on another boulevard. Fatima, who could not swim, accidently slipped into the flooded tunnel.

No signs for pedestrians

Houda told Yabiladi that Fatima’s daughter tried to contact her mother several times, before realizing that she had gone missing. The following day, December the 8th, the daughter went to the police station.

After several hours, the local authorities finally located her mother. According to Houda, autopsy revealed that the deceased had drowned. The same thing was confirmed by one of the CCTV cameras installed near the place where the incident took place.

Shocked by Fatima’s tragic death, the family is urging the authorities to hold the ones responsible for this to account. They believe that leaving a flooded subway open can lead to serious and deadly accidents, especially due to the fact that it is accessible to pedestrians.

A week after Fatima’s death, Houda confirmed that the authorities have not installed signs, warning pedestrians against the danger of stepping inside that tunnel.

Yabiladi tried on Thursday to reach the local authorities in Casablanca to have further information about the tunnel but in vain.

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