Moroccan police have arrested the owner and the manager of a Moroccan mattress factory engulfed by a fire that killed at least 55 people.
An emergency officer said managers had locked in staff during work hours to stop theft, trapping them in the fire yesterday.
When the fire engulfed the building, some workers jumped out of windows to safety, but many women workers were too scared to jump and became trapped and burned to death.
55 people died in the fire, including 35 women. There were 17 people injured.
The fire apparently started because of a short circuit on the ground floor. Police said equipment was not maintained properly.
The plant's owner, Adil Moufarreh, and his son Abdelali Moufarreh, who was the manager, have been taken into custody after being questioned by police.
The building had a ground floor and three upper floors. It contained flammable material.
A worker said that there were no emergency exits, the doors were locked and the fire extinguishers were empty.
Around 100 of the factory's 150 employees were on site when the fire began early yesterday morning.
It took more than 100 firefighters over three hours to bring it under control.
Onlookers said the rescue operation appeared to have been hampered by a lack of water to douse the flames.
