The bus was completely destroyed in the fire that followed the collision
A head-on collision between a petrol tanker and a bus carrying a delegation of young Moroccan athletes said to be around 14/15 years old resulted in the death of 31 people with about 9 people seriously injured after the tanker exploded and spread fire.
According to Morocco's Ministry of Sport, the accident happened along the road between the capital, Rabat, and Laayoune. Moroccan media reports that the young athletes were school students participating in a national sports competition who had gone to the competition to represent their schools. They were on their way back when their bus collided with the petrol tanker..
The bus burst into flames after the crash on Friday morning near the city of Tan-Tan in the district of Chbika.
Nine people were injured and taken to hospital.
Local media said the children had been taking part in an athletics competition and were travelling with their coaches.
Some reports said they were travelling from the capital, Rabat, to Laayoune, which is in the Western Sahara.
"A majority of the victims are children aged eight to 14," an official from the regional sports and youth ministry told the AFP news agency.
Road accidents have been on the rise in Morocco as car ownership has nearly doubled over the past 15 years, according to Reuters news agency.
An average of 10 people are estimated to die every day in road accidents.
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