Two female tourists, one from Norway and the other from Denmark were found dead in Morocco with apparent knife wounds to their necks, and a man was arrested on suspicion of murder, said the Moroccan Central Bureau of Judicial Investigation.
The women were found dead in Morocco’s High Atlas Mountains. Officials did not say in the Facebook post whether at least one of the women had been decapitated.
Both were found “with evidence of violence to their necks,” the ministry said.
Helle Jespersen, the woman’s mother, said she urged her daughter not to go to Morocco. “We advised her to go down because it’s such a chaotic place, and you’ve heard of people who have been killed down there,” she was quoted by the paper as saying.
Her mother said her daughter’s “throat had been cut,” citing information from Danish police.
“I broke down,” the mother said. “She was always happy and positive. All people could with her and she brought out the best in everyone.”
The officials added: “We are in contact with relatives and are providing consular assistance in accordance with established practices and framework for assistance in connection with deaths of Norwegian citizens abroad. Our embassy is in contact with local authorities and representatives from the embassy are present in Marrakech.”
The Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the two were killed while hiking in the Atlas Mountains. “The Danish Police has notified the relatives of the Danish woman,” a representative told ABC.
“The relatives have been offered consular assistance by the Consular Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as the Danish Embassy in Morocco. The Danish ambassador is currently in Marrakech to ensure the closest possible contact to the local Moroccan authorities,” the representative added.
The Telegraph noted that tourism accounts for about 5 percent of Morocco’s economy, while Sky noted that the sector is the second largest employer after agriculture. “It’s very bad for the region. There will undoubtedly be cancellations,” a local guide told AFP.