Updated 00:12 | Published 00:06
Four tourists lost their way on a jet ski during their vacation in Morocco.
By mistake they ended up in Algerian waters.
There, two were shot dead by the coast guard.
The four French-Moroccan friends were holidaying in the resort town of Saidia in northeastern Morocco.
On Tuesday, they set off on jet skis in the Mediterranean. Only one of them came home.
Mohamed Kissi tells the Moroccan news site Le360 that the friends simply drove wrong, got lost and ran out of fuel.
– We understood that we were in Algeria because a black Algerian smaller boat came towards us, and they shot at us.
“They killed my brother”
According to Mohamed Kissi, the Moroccan coast guard shot dead his brother and one of their friends.
– I thank God that I was not met, but they killed my brother and my friend. They arrested my other friend.
Kissi says he tried to swim away, but was picked up by the Moroccan navy who brought him back to the port of Saidia.
The fourth in the group is said to have been arrested by the coast guard, writes The Guardian and refers to Moroccan media.
Fishermen found the body
According to Moroccan media, one of the dead was 29-year-old Bilal Kissi, the father of two young daughters. He is said to have been found by fishermen and buried in Morocco on Thursday.
Abdelali Merchouer, 40, is missing after the incident and is believed to be dead. His father tells the news agency Reuters that he appeals to the Moroccan and Algerian authorities to bring the body back to France.
The French Foreign Ministry has confirmed a death, without going into the circumstances. They state that another French citizen was arrested “following an incident involving several of our citizens”.
Increased tensions
In recent times, tensions have increased between Algeria and Morocco. The background concerns a long-term conflict over the area of Western Sahara. The border between the countries has been closed since 1994.
There has been no official comment on the incident, neither from Morocco nor Algeria.
When asked about the shooting, a Moroccan government spokesman reportedly declined comment, saying “it is a matter for the judiciary,” reports AFP.