Morocco fan, 39, dies after flag around neck is caught in motorbike wheel during World Cup celebrations in Spain
A MOROCCO fan has died after a flag she was wearing while celebrating her country’s World Cup win got caught in a motorbike wheel.
The victim, 39, had been riding on a motorcycle her husband was driving in Algeciras, Spain, when the freak accident unfolded late on Saturday.
She had been out partying following Morocco’s decisive 3-0 win over Canada in the round of 16 on Saturday.
Witnesses told police a Morocco flag the victim had around her neck got caught in the rear wheel of the motorbike moments before her death.
They claimed it caused her to suffer a serious neck injury.
The woman was in cardiac arrest when police reached the scene at the intersection of Getares road and Avenida 28 de Febrero.
Emergency services tried to perform CPR before she was rushed to hospital.
But she was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the Punta Europa Hospital.
Police have confirmed her husband passed a drink-drive test.
Local authorities are investigating the exact circumstances of the ordeal which unfolded in the San Garcia neighbourhood.
City mayor Jose Ignacio Landaluce said he was “deeply dismayed” at what had happened and that officials were supporting the woman’s family.
He added: “We stand with them in their grief.”
Algeciras has one of the most notable Moroccan communities in Spain.
Around 10,000 of its 128,000 inhabitants come from Morocco.
The North African nation won 3-0 over host nation Canada on Saturday, with Azzedine Ounahi getting on the score sheet twice in the second half before Soufiane Rahimi hit the target with the last touch of the game.
Morocco are the first team so far to secure a spot in the quarter finals of the 2026 World Cup.
In 2022, a partying Argentina fan was choked to death when a flag draped around his shoulders became caught in his motorbike wheel.
Sebastian Oscar Maciel, 22, died instantly at the scene after accidentally depriving himself of oxygen following Argentina’s dramatic final win against France at the Qatar World Cup.
