Morocco/Rabat: At least 37 people died in severe flooding caused by heavy rains in Morocco's Atlantic coastal province of Safi on Sunday. At least 14 people have been hospitalized, two of them in intensive care units, after the sudden bout of heavy rain, according to local authorities.
At least 70 homes and businesses were flooded after just one hour of heavy rain in the historic old town of Safi, about 300 kilometers south of the capital Rabat. Pictures on social media showed cars and trash cans being swept off the roads by the strong flow of dirty water.
The Safi administration said in a statement that search and rescue operations were underway to secure the affected areas and provide assistance to residents. Traffic has also been cut off on several routes to and from the port city due to road damage. Meanwhile, the provincial directorate of national education in Safi suspended classes in all schools on Monday as a precaution.
By Sunday evening, the water level had receded, but flood victims were trying to save their belongings in these difficult conditions. The weather service has warned that more heavy rains are forecast across the country for Tuesday. The heavy rains and snowfall in the Atlas Mountains come after a seven-year drought that had caused some of the country's main reservoirs to empty.
It is worth noting that this latest disaster came shortly after the collapse of two buildings in the historic city of Fes last week, killing 19 people. Before this, Morocco had also suffered extensive damage due to floods caused by heavy rains in 2014, 2015 and 2021.