A solidarity trek to raise awareness of the fight against breast cancer turned into a nightmare for the participants last week in Morocco. Organized in the desert from October 26, the “Rose Trip trek” quickly turned into an ordeal for hundreds of them, who began to experience gastroenteritis syndromes. Some even had to be urgently repatriated, while there was total chaos there, witnesses told several media outlets in recent days.
“I collapse in front of the medical tent in an apocalyptic atmosphere. The girls around me are literally on top of each other. Girls in distress are left destitute on mattresses outside,” says for example At Parisian Sarah, who felt sick on the first day of competition. The same evening, Karine identified around sixty infected women, she explains. at France 3, and identifies an element of explanation: “We realize that the septic tank is open to the sky, that it is located barely 10 meters near the kitchens and the tents where we sleep. »
The hygienic conditions in which the race was held are the subject of strong criticism, as is the lack of means to treat the sick. “I lived 48 hours where we were in our vomit, in our excrement, it was indescribable,” testified on France Inter another participant, who remained in the camp for two days with serious symptoms without being able to be evacuated. “I feel myself leaving, I convulse on the ground for several hours, and I am told that my case is not a priority,” she says.
An association is being set up to take action against the organizer, the tour operator Désertours. The latter published a press release in which it simply stated that “the symptoms of acute gastroenteritis are common in Morocco but were of exceptional virulence and magnitude”. “While it is difficult to respond in real time, individually, to all the requests we receive, rest assured that this is in no way casual on our part and that your safety is always our priority,” adds he intended for the participants.
Ongoing investigation and legal action
According to a report that France Bleu Gard Lozere was able to obtain, Mutuaide Assistance, insurer of the event, estimates “the reaction of [l’équipe médicale de Désertours sur place] faced with an influx of victims was extremely rapid and perfectly adequate despite the stress and pressure on site.
Two versions therefore clash, down to the number of participants who fell ill. There are 325 of them (out of 816 in total) according to the future collective of victims, 39 of whom had to be hospitalized. Désertours, for its part, puts forward the figure of 200 poisoned people and 18 hospitalizations. According to France 3, the preferred route is that of an E-Coli or Shigella infection. An investigation is underway by Moroccan health authorities, and the collective is preparing legal action.