The damage caused by Storm Charles in Casablanca has taken a tragic turn. Le360 has learned that one person was killed and another seriously injured when a wall at Abdellah Guennoune High School, near the Salmia scrapyard, collapsed.
According to information gathered by Le360, the wall, which borders the school’s sports facilities, came down at around 18:00 on Wednesday, November 11, as the first powerful wind gusts hit the Casablanca region.
Several people who regularly offer their services to traders at the scrapyard and gather near the wall were at the scene when the incident occurred. They were trapped as the structure suddenly collapsed. The incident left one person dead and another seriously injured. The latter was taken to the emergency department.
The falling wall also crushed a vehicle parked nearby. The incident is among the first reports of fatalities resulting from the severe weather that hit the city.
The wall of Abdellah Guennoune High School in the Salmia neighborhood collapsed shortly after 18:00 on Wednesday (K.Essalak/Le360)
The accident came at the end of an especially difficult day for Casablanca residents. Powerful wind gusts, accompanied by severe weather conditions, swept through the region, causing material damage and disruption.
The storm also triggered a major power outage shortly after 17:00, affecting numerous neighborhoods across Casablanca, including Californie, Sidi Maârouf, Hay Hassani, Maârif, Bourgogne and several areas in the city center and southern districts.
The disruption was caused by incidents affecting the Dar Bouazza and Ouled Haddou electrical substations. Teams from SRM Casablanca-Settat and the National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water (ONEE) were mobilized to gradually restore power. Electricity was progressively restored across the affected areas, with normal service reported by around 21:00, following nearly four hours of outages.
Given the scale of the disruption, a crisis unit was set up at the Casablanca-Settat regional administration headquarters. A meeting was held there under the supervision of Wali Mohamed Mhidia, with the participation of ONEE Director General Tarik Hamane and officials responsible for managing the region’s networks and infrastructure.
The disruption also affected the Port of Casablanca. Due to adverse weather conditions and strong winds, vessel movements were disrupted. Several ships had to leave the port and anchor offshore, leading to a suspension of port operations.
