Moroccan footballers missing at sea after yacht capsizes

Two footballers from Moroccan top-flight club Ittihad Tanger are missing at sea following a yacht incident off the northern coast near M’diq. The players are 24 years-old Abdellatif Akhrif, and 18 years-old Salman El-Harrak.

The incident happened on Saturday during a team excursion. Three other individuals: club employee Oussama Aflah and reserve team players Soumaimane Dahdouh and Abdelhamid Maali, were rescued.

Aflah reported that the group encountered strong winds and rough seas while swimming close to shore, which caused them to drift away from the boat.

Although life jackets were available on board, they were not wearing them while swimming. Authorities are continuing the search for the missing players.

“Everything was normal – we woke up, had breakfast and rented a boat from the marina,” he said.

“On our way out to sea, we were even stopped by the coastguard who made sure our papers were in order and that we had life jackets.

“Everything was fine and we were swimming within sight of the shore and just a few metres from the boat before the sea completely changed and heavy winds took us away from the boat.”

Search efforts are ongoing, and club president Mohamed Cherkaoui has appealed for responsible media coverage. Ittihad Tanger, a club based in the top league since 2015 and boasting a league title win in 2017-18, are understandably shaken by this tragic event.