At least 37 people have died and 16 are hospitalized following exceptional torrential rains which hit large areas of the Moroccan coastal town of Safi, 300 kilometers south of Rabat, on Sunday evening. The death toll published this morning by the authorities is the highest in the last decade in this Maghreb country, which has suffered a prolonged drought since 2018.
In just one hour, the storm unleashed intense rainfall in Safi that caused torrents of water and mud. Dozens of homes and businesses in the historic medina were razed, and many vehicles and garbage dumpsters were swept away by the streets transformed into torrents.
The work of searching for victims and evacuating damaged property continues with the help of relief ships, which are trying to “provide the necessary assistance to the population affected by this exceptional situation”, according to a press release published by the official MAP news agency. The heroes were transferred to Mohamed V hospital, where at least one of those admitted was placed in intensive care. Educational centers have suspended their activities, while several communication lines remain cut due to flooding.
Floods occurred in autumn in Morocco with unusual intensity, at below-normal temperatures and in a very humid environment in coastal areas. This situation has increased the risks of stormy precipitation in the context of climate change, according to weather reports cited by the local press.
Authorities have called on the population to exercise extreme vigilance and avoid flood zones. “It is imperative to adopt maximum caution in the face of heavy rainfall in the country to preserve human lives and lives,” said an official statement. The Dirección General de Meteorología has issued storm warnings affecting several Moroccan provinces.
Last year, 18 people died in floods caused by storms in Morocco’s arid region, considered an exceptional climatic phenomenon. Among the victims was a Spanish tourist who was on an excursion with six other foreigners in four-wheel drive vehicles dragged along a river current in the Uazarzat region, south of the Atlas mountain range.
The Maroon gendarmerie rescued on Sunday one of the Spanish tourists whose vehicle had been dragged by children in the south-east of the country, according to information from the digital portal. Hespress. The rescue took place near Sidi Ali, in the Merzuga region, close to the Algerian border, frequently visited by travelers seeking the attraction of its sand dunes on the edge of the Sahara desert.
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