A group of five Israeli residents of the city of Safed have been killed in a fatal car accident near Ouarzazate, Morocco, Israeli media reported.
The victims, members of the Breslov Hasidic community, were Moshe Gallant, Meir Israel Shasha, Rabbi Natan Shapira, Chaim Yosef Teplinsky and Rabbi Shimon Teplinsky. Two of them were parents.
The accident occurred when the vehicle they were travelling in lost control and overturned, and highlights concerns about road safety in Morocco. According to data from the country's General Directorate of National Security, 25 accidents were recorded in urban areas between 1 November and 2.155 December alone, resulting in 129 serious injuries and 16 fatalities.
Safed Mayor Yossi Kakkon expressed his regret in a statement: “It is with great sadness that we received the news of the serious accident that occurred in Morocco, which claimed the lives of several residents of Safed. We are in constant contact with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the official authorities in charge of the incident.”