37 dead as floods wreak havoc
Tragically, at least 37 people have lost their lives due to flash floods caused by heavy rains in Morocco’s Atlantic coastal province of Safi, as reported by local authorities.
On Monday, state-owned broadcaster SNRT News shared that at least 14 individuals have been hospitalized, with two of them in the intensive care unit, following the unexpected downpour that hit on Sunday.
Images shared on social media captured a powerful surge of muddy water sweeping away cars and trash bins from the streets of Safi, a town about 300 kilometers (186 miles) south of Rabat, the capital. Authorities reported that at least 70 homes and businesses in the historic old city were inundated after just an hour of heavy rainfall.
In a statement, the governorate of Safi mentioned that search and rescue operations were underway, and they had taken the necessary steps to secure the affected areas and assist the residents.
Resident Marouane Tamer, speaking to the AFP news agency, raised a valid point about why government trucks hadn’t been sent out to pump away the water.
The damage to the roads has caused traffic disruptions on several routes leading to and from the port city along the Atlantic coast.
According to the Casablanca-based newspaper Le Matin, provincial road 2300, which connects Safi to Hrara—about 20.5 km (12.7 miles) to the northeast—has been hit particularly hard.
The newspaper also reported that the provincial directorate of national education in Safi decided to suspend classes in all schools on Monday.
By Sunday evening, the water levels had dropped, leaving residents to sift through a muddy landscape in search of their belongings.
As teams continued to look for any other possible casualties, the weather service warned of more heavy rain expected on Tuesday across the country.
Morocco is experiencing heavy rain and snowfall in the Atlas Mountains, following seven years of drought that emptied some of its main reservoirs.
The country’s General Directorate of Meteorology said 2024 was Morocco’s hottest year on record.
Heavy rain in 2021 caused the death of 24 people, after there was a flood in an illegal underground textile workshop in a private house in Tangier, the state news agency reported at the time.
In 2014 and 2015, torrential rains also caused widespread flooding in Morocco.
Sunday’s floods came shortly after a separate disaster last week, which saw 19 people killed and 16 injured by the collapse of two buildings in Morocco’s historic city of Fes.
37 dead as floods wreak havoc
