By Abdullahi Lukman
No fewer than 37 people have died following flash floods triggered by torrential rainfall in Morocco’s Atlantic coastal province of Safi, local authorities said on Monday.
State-owned broadcaster SNRT News reported that the downpour struck suddenly on Sunday, leaving at least 14 people hospitalised, including two in intensive care.
Authorities said the heavy rain, which lasted about an hour, flooded at least 70 homes and businesses in Safi’s historic old city. Videos shared on social media showed muddy torrents sweeping through streets, carrying away vehicles and rubbish bins.
In a statement, the Safi governorate said search and rescue operations were ongoing, while measures had been taken to secure affected areas and assist residents.
Some residents questioned the pace of the response, with one local, Marouane Tamer, telling AFP that water-pumping trucks were not deployed quickly enough.
The floods caused extensive damage to infrastructure, cutting off traffic on several roads leading to and from the port city. Provincial road 2300, linking Safi to the nearby town of Hrara, was among the worst affected, according to Casablanca-based newspaper Le Matin.
The provincial directorate of national education suspended classes in all schools in Safi on Monday as cleanup efforts continued. By Sunday evening, floodwaters had receded, leaving residents to salvage belongings from mud-filled homes and streets.
Meteorological authorities have warned of more heavy rainfall expected across the country on Tuesday. Morocco has recently experienced intense rain and snowfall in the Atlas Mountains after seven years of drought that severely depleted major reservoirs.
The General Directorate of Meteorology said 2024 was the hottest year ever recorded in Morocco. The country has a history of deadly flooding, including a 2021 incident in Tangier that killed 24 people and widespread floods recorded in 2014 and 2015.
Sunday’s floods came days after another tragedy in which 19 people were killed and 16 injured when two buildings collapsed in the historic city of Fes.
Aljazeera
