Screengrab from YouTube video (https://youtube.com/watch?v=xcju3i5NlLI)
Late on December 22, an explosion and a large fire hit a gas storage facility near the Moroccan port city of Mohammedia.
Footage shared online showed huge columns of fire and explosions engulfing the facility, which is reportedly used by several major energy companies such as Afriquia, Total, and Shell. Witnesses reported hearing an explosion as far away as ten kilometers from the facility prior to the fire.
Some nearby residents were evacuated temporarily while firefighters worked to extinguish the fire with help from the workers of two local companies, Lydec and Marsa Maroc.
No casualties were reported in the incident. Nevertheless, Morocco’s official press agency, MAP, said that five tanker trucks were destroyed in the fire.
Authorities in the kingdom have reportedly launched an investigation to determine what caused the explosion at the gas storage facility.
Morocco’s natural gas production is expected to reach 110 million cubic meters this year. The kingdom has good prospects in the light of the discovery of gas reserves on its territory and its proximity to Europe, where demand for gas is on the rise as a result of the sanctions against Russia.
It’s worth noting that Morocco has been boosting its security and military capabilities to deal with various threats, mainly originating from the dispute with Algeria over the Western Sahara region.
Seems like another excuse to bring more North Africans into France.