RABAT, Morocco: At least 37 people have been killed after flash floods triggered by torrential rain swept through Morocco’s Atlantic coastal province of Safi, local authorities said on Monday.
State-owned broadcaster SNRT News, citing local officials, said at least 14 people were receiving treatment at hospital, including two in intensive care, after the sudden downpour late on Sunday.
Images shared on social media showed torrents of muddy water sweeping cars and rubbish bins through the streets of Safi, a port city about 300 kilometres south of the capital Rabat.
Local authorities said at least 70 homes and businesses in the historic old city were flooded after just one hour of heavy rain. Damage to roads disrupted traffic on several routes to and from the city.
Casablanca-based daily Le Matin reported that provincial road 2300, linking Safi to the nearby town of Hrara, was among the worst affected.
Rescue operations
In a statement, the Safi governorate said search and rescue operations were continuing and measures had been taken to secure affected areas and assist residents.
By Sunday evening, water levels had receded, leaving streets coated in mud and debris as residents searched for belongings.
The provincial directorate of national education suspended classes in all schools in Safi on Monday, according to Le Matin. Schools are expected to remain closed for several days.
Fourteen survivors were being treated at Mohammed V Hospital in Safi, local officials said.
Shopkeeper Abdelkader Mezraoui, 55, said businesses in the old city had been devastated. “Jewellery and clothing shop owners have lost all their stock,” he said, calling for official compensation.
Weather warnings
Morocco’s weather service forecast further heavy rain across the country on Tuesday.
The country has been experiencing heavy rain and snowfall in the Atlas Mountains after seven consecutive years of drought that drained major reservoirs.
Morocco’s General Directorate of Meteorology said 2024 was the hottest year on record.
Flash floods have struck Morocco repeatedly in the past. In 2021, 24 people died in flooding in Tangier. Earlier deadly floods were recorded in 1995 and 2002.
