Two French-Moroccan tourists were killed by Algerian border guards when they accidentally found themselves jet-skiing in Algerian territorial waters off the coast of Morocco, several Moroccan media outlets reported today, one of which cited an eyewitness to the tragedy.

According to the Le360 news website, Bilal Kishi and Abdelali Mesouer died on Tuesday when Algerian border guards shot them inside Algerian territorial waters.

The two men were lost at sea while jet skiing near the Moroccan town of Saidia. A third, also French-Moroccan, Smail Schnabe, was arrested by the Algerian authorities.

“We got lost but kept going until we were in Algeria. We realized we were in Algeria because a black, Algerian inflatable approached us,” said Mohamed Kissi, the brother of one of the victims, who managed to escape, speaking to Morocco’s Al Omk website.

“The men (on the inflatable) shot at us. Fortunately, they didn’t hit me, but my brother and my friend were killed. They arrested another friend of mine,” he added.

This tragedy occurs at a time of tension in Morocco’s relations with Algeria. The border has been closed since 1994 and Algeria severed diplomatic relations with Morocco in August 2021 accusing Rabat of “hostile actions”. Morocco describes this decision as “totally unjustified”.

The representative of the Moroccan government, Mustafa Baytas, when asked today about the issue, did not make any comment, limiting himself to saying that the judicial authorities are responsible.