Several tourists, mostly French, complained of similar health symptoms during a charity race held for breast cancer in southern Merzouga, according to several Moroccan and French media outlets.
The tourists experienced a sudden deterioration in their health conditions, prompting Moroccan authorities to launch an investigation to determine the main cause, especially since the company responsible for organizing the race was of French nationality.
Conflicting numbers emerged regarding the food-poisoned tourists. Some said it was between 150, 200, and 300 individuals, while the number of participants in the race exceeded 1027.
A highly informed source told MoroccoLatestNews AR that these figures were not real, stressing that the authorities were immediately notified when some of the participants in the race showcased signs of illness.
The same source revealed that only 18 foreign women were transferred to healthcare centers and a private hospital in Errachidia, underscoring that the medical teams ruled out food poisoning as the cause, unlike what Moroccan and foreign media outlets reported.
The company organizing the charity race did not exclude the possibility that fatigue, climate, and body dehydration were among the main causes for the appearance of illness symptoms among tourists.
The same source added that the tourists, who were transferred to healthcare institutions, showed signs of vomiting and diarrhea.
The source also revealed that the victims received the necessary treatments before returning to their countries.
A regional health commission, which was directly instructed by the Waliy of Draa-Tafilatet region, made a field visit and checked the quality of fresh foodstuffs and services related to shelter and feeding.
The source emphasized the importance of accurate reporting and clarified that public and healthcare institutions are open to providing official information on the matter.
Such news is exploited by some parties waiting for any opportunity to attack Morocco, clarifying the informed source.