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29 September, 2026Three miners were killed in an explosion during drilling operations at the Touissit mine in M'rirt, Morocco, on 25 September 2026. The site is operated by Work Mine. Two workers died at the scene and a third died later in hospital.
The Syndicat National d’Energie et des Mines (SNEM-CDT) condemned the incident in a statement on 26 September. The union said the deaths were part of a wider pattern of workplace accidents linked to the neglect of health and safety requirements. It said management had failed to act on repeated warnings from workers and trade unionists about workplace risks.
Union calls for urgent investigation
According to SNEM-CDT, management is prioritizing profits over workers’ lives and allowing explosions to take place in the mine without adequate compliance with safety regulations. The union called for an urgent investigation to establish responsibility and protect the rights of workers and their families.
Mohammed Kelmouss, SNEM-CDT general secretary, said the latest deaths were not an isolated incident:
“We have been warning for decades, through more than thirty letters, about the lack of safety measures, but management has failed to respond. The relevant authorities have also not acted on our demands for workplace inspections.”
Kelmouss said decent working conditions and a safe working environment remained central to the union’s work. The union had planned meetings in early October with the company branches that manage the mine at different sites, to discuss how to improve working conditions. The accident happened before those meetings could take place.
IndustriALL general secretary Atle Høie said:
“No worker should die to make a profit. SNEM-CDT has raised the alarm for years and management and the authorities have failed to listen. IndustriALL stands in solidarity with the families of the victims and with SNEM-CDT and supports the union’s demand for an urgent investigation and immediate safety measures.”
The area has seen similar fatal incidents before. In 2015, a worker died from suffocation at the Amgar mine in Jebel Aouam amid reported safety shortcomings. In 2018, a dynamite explosion at a mine in the same area killed one worker and injured three others. These incidents led trade unionists, workers and local residents to organize protests demanding stronger occupational health and safety measures.