Safi: search continues for five fishermen missing aboard the Lalla Khadija

Search teams are still combing the waters off Safi for five fishermen missing since their traditional boat, the Lalla Khadija, failed to return to port, the Ministry of Maritime Fisheries announced.

The vessel, registered under number 7-7016, put to sea on Thursday. Its owner reported it missing to the authorities at around 5 p.m. on Friday, October 23, after it failed to come back at the expected time.

Once alerted, the Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre in Bouznika began sweeping the area where the boat was thought to be and warned fishing vessels and merchant ships operating nearby.

Two rescue boats, one from Safi and one from Agadir, have joined the operation, alongside fishing boats and merchant ships redirected to the search zone. Helicopters from the Royal Gendarmerie and the Royal Navy have flown several reconnaissance missions over the area.

The ministry said bad weather and rough seas are hampering efforts to locate the boat and rescue its five crew members. At Safi’s port, families of the missing fishermen and their colleagues wait for news.