At least 37 dead after flash floods hit Morocco’s Safi

Just 1 hr of dense rainfall near houses and shops flooded successful aged city; much dense rainfall predicted for Tuesday.

At slightest 37 person been killed successful flash floods triggered by torrential rains successful Morocco’s Atlantic coastal state of Safi, according to authorities.

State-owned broadcaster SNRT News connected Monday quoted section authorities arsenic saying astatine slightest 14 radical had received infirmary treatment, including 2 successful the intensive attraction unit, aft the abrupt bout of dense rainfall connected Sunday.

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Images connected societal media showed a torrent of muddy h2o sweeping cars and rubbish bins from the streets successful the municipality of Safi, located immoderate 300km (186 miles) southbound of the capital, Rabat. At slightest 70 homes and businesses successful the historical aged metropolis were flooded aft conscionable 1 hr of dense rain, according to the authorities.

In a statement, the Safi governorate said hunt and rescue operations were ongoing and indispensable measures had been taken to unafraid the affected areas and supply enactment to residents.

Resident Marouane Tamer, quoted by the AFP quality agency, questioned wherefore authorities trucks had not been dispatched to pump retired the water.

Damage to roads chopped disconnected postulation on respective routes to and from the larboard metropolis connected the Atlantic coast.

Casablanca-based paper Le Matin said provincial roadworthy 2300 linking Safi to Hrara, a municipality located 20.5km (12.7 miles) to the northeast, had been peculiarly affected.

The paper said the provincial directorate of nationalist acquisition successful Safi had suspended classes successful each schools connected Monday.

By Sunday evening, the h2o level had receded, leaving radical to prime done a mud-sodden scenery to salvage belongings.

As teams searched for different imaginable casualties, the upwind work forecast much dense rainfall connected Tuesday crossed the country.

Morocco is experiencing dense rainfall and snowfall successful the Atlas Mountains, pursuing 7 years of drought that emptied immoderate of its main reservoirs.

The country’s General Directorate of Meteorology said 2024 was Morocco’s hottest twelvemonth connected record.

Heavy rainfall successful 2021 caused the decease of 24 people, aft determination was a flood successful an amerciable underground textile store successful a backstage location successful Tangier, the authorities quality bureau reported astatine the time.

In 2014 and 2015, torrential rains besides caused wide flooding successful Morocco.

Sunday’s floods came soon aft a abstracted catastrophe past week, which saw 19 radical killed and 16 injured by the illness of 2 buildings successful Morocco’s historical metropolis of Fes.