Two men have died in a shaft collapse in an abandoned lead mine at Boubker in Jerada Province, Morocco. The incident happened on Sunday 3 June 2018, while a party including the two men was trying to excavate lead from the mine. One of the victims is understood to have died at the scene of the accident, the second was rushed to the Oujda University Hospital, but died later of his injuries.
The approximate location of the Boubker mine. Google Maps
Jerada Province has a large number of disused mines, most of which were abandoned during the 1990s in a clamp down on unsafe mineworkings. However many of these, while officially closed, are still worked (illegally) by local miners, who have no alternative source of income or employment. This is extremely dangerous work and accidents are common, which has lead to a series of protests in the region, where people are calling for either the formal re-opening of the mines, with appropriate investment in safety precautions, or their full closure and investment in the creation of alternative industries.
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