Fish vendor dies after falling from makeshift bridge in Azilal province

A tragic accident claimed the life of a fish vendor on Monday evening after he fell from a makeshift bridge connecting the villages of Ait Youguen and Tamoudount, located in the Ouled rural commune of Azilal Province.

The victim, a man in his 50s from the village of Ait Bougmez, was crossing the bridge on his motorcycle while conducting his daily rounds distributing fish to neighboring communities. According to local sources, the vendor fell into the river below and died instantly.

The incident has reignited local demands for the construction of a modern, safe bridge in the area. Residents have long warned that the primitive structure poses a constant danger, especially to schoolchildren from the Oujgal satellite school, who must cross it daily to reach their classrooms located about three kilometers away through rugged mountain paths.

Omar Majan, a civil society activist and opposition member of the Ouled communal council, told Hespress: “Residents have repeatedly called for a proper concrete bridge to safeguard lives, but their pleas have fallen on deaf ears.”

He added, “Today, we lost a hardworking man simply trying to earn a living because decent infrastructure was denied to him.”

Majan noted that the bridge is occasionally repaired using traditional methods, but no official intervention has ensured the required safety standards. He stressed that the lack of basic infrastructure continues to isolate mountain villages, making it nearly impossible for ambulances to reach critical cases — an unacceptable reality given the promises of rural development.

The activist also criticized the local government’s priorities, claiming that public funds are being spent on nonessential projects and poorly planned roads, while mountainous regions remain dangerously neglected. “Millions have been spent on festival barricades and luxury vehicles, yet people are dying on a bridge unfit even for livestock,” he said.

Sources told Hespress that the Beni Mellal–Khenifra Regional Council had previously scheduled a project to build a new bridge in the area, but for unknown reasons, it was never implemented — fueling local frustration with the slow pace of essential development.

Residents now hope this tragedy will prompt authorities to take serious action and end the silence surrounding the deadly risks posed by outdated infrastructure. Instead of being death traps, bridges should serve as gateways to safety and development, they said.

Royal Gendarmerie officers and local authorities arrived at the scene shortly after the accident and launched an investigation under the supervision of the competent public prosecutor. The victim’s body was transferred to the regional hospital in Beni Mellal for autopsy.