The Moroccan Human Rights Center has called for an urgent judicial investigation after three mine workers were killed in an underground accident at the Jbel Aouam mine in M’rirt, in Morocco’s Khenifra province.
The group said in a statement that the workers died after a sudden explosion inside a tunnel between 500 and 600 meters underground at the Ighrem Ousar shaft.
According to the rights group, a drilling machine struck an old unexploded mine that had allegedly been left in the area without a security inspection.
Two workers died immediately at the bottom of the mine, while a third died on the way to the hospital, the group said, citing what it described as deteriorated emergency access routes and a lack of emergency equipment.
The Moroccan Human Rights Center said the accident should not be considered an isolated incident, arguing that it was part of a broader pattern of workplace accidents in the area.
The group accused the mine operator and relevant authorities of failing to adequately enforce workplace safety and prevention measures. It also alleged that workers’ safety had been compromised in favor of financial interests.
The statement said workers had previously staged protests and sit-ins demanding safer working conditions and the presence of a permanent doctor at the mine. The group said those demands had not been adequately addressed.
The rights organization called on Morocco’s ministries responsible for energy transition and employment to strengthen technical supervision and regular inspections, including through workplace health and safety committees.
It also called for an independent judicial investigation under the supervision of the public prosecutor’s office to establish the circumstances surrounding the accident and determine whether legal violations occurred.
The group called for compensation for the families of the three victims and urged authorities to send an emergency technical ministerial committee to inspect the mine’s various work sites and suspend operations in unsafe sections.
It also called on Morocco to ratify International Labour Organization Convention No. 176 on safety and health in mines.
As of Thursday, neither the company operating the mine nor local authorities had issued a public statement on the circumstances of the accident.
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