Quebecer describes nightmare Morocco trip that left 200 sick, 15 hospitalized

An all-women's trip through the Moroccan desert took a dark turn last week after hundreds of travellers fell seriously ill during their expedition.

More than 800 women participated in the "Rose Trip" trek, organized by French tourism company Désertours.

About a quarter of them would become violently sick with a bacterial infection, and roughly 15 would even be hospitalized.

Julie Morin was among a group of Quebec women who took part. She described the experience as "unimaginable." 

"A lady went to help her friend in the Red Cross tent and she saw lots of girls lying on the ground with IVs, but bathing in their own excrement," Morin told Noovo Info in an interview. "You can't leave humans like that, it doesn't make sense."

Morin said the tent where food was prepared was right next to an open septic pit.

Julie Morin said there were unsanitary hygienic conditions at the camp (photo: Noovo Info)It's unclear what kind of bacterial infection took hold, but testing is underway.

"After 20 or so sick girls, they should have evacuated the site. Instead, they let it go for the event -- [but] there was no more event. There were too many sick people there," said Morin.

Similar stories were shared in the comments of Rose Trip's Facebook page.

"We see women falling one after the other, with no idea what to do except stay in our tent and cross our fingers that we don't get infected. You don't even go to the bathroom or eat, because you don't know where it's coming from. A dream trip that turns into anguish, with only one thought: to leave as soon as possible," one comment reads.

"The bivouac [shelter] was very unhygienic, with inadequate sanitary facilities, uncollected garbage cans and damaged toilets," reads another.

Rose Trip has organized several treks to Morocco and Senegal over the years. Each trip is composed entirely of women and is associated with charitable organizations like Ruban Rose (breast cancer research) and Enfants du désert (child education in Morocco and Argentina).

In an email to CTV News, a spokesperson for Rose Trip said "various measures were deployed" to take care of those affected. 

"On site, various measures were deployed with the medical team accompanying the participants in order to preserve their health and ensure that those most affected were taken care of in Moroccan hospitals. A large medical team accompanied the participants, including a regulating doctor, three emergency doctors, five nurses, as well as two nurses and two first-aiders from the Red Cross," the statement reads. 

 Rose Trip also sent a letter to participants, writing that it's working with health authorities to determine the nature and origin of the "epidemic."

"As far as we know, 15 people were hospitalized on Moroccan soil and taken into charge by Mutuaide. Rose Trip is organizing [...] to transfer these participants to France," the letter continues.

Some of the women affected have formed a group on Facebook, where they're coordinating legal action.

With files from Noovo Info's Laurence Royer and Émeric Montminy.