Dozens killed in port city of Safi after heavy rains
Flash floods in Morocco’s coastal Safi region have killed at least 37 people, according to state television.
Cars and piles of garbage were seen being swept away in the main port city of Safi following heavy rain on Sunday.
Dozens of people were treated in hospital for their injuries and at least 70 houses in the old city center were flooded, local officials said.
Local reports say that entry and exit into the city is blocked on some roads due to damage and debris.
Residents described it as a dark day on Sunday, with one of them telling the AFP news agency: “I lost all my clothes. My neighbor just gave me some to cover me up. I have nothing left. I lost everything.”
Another survivor said he wanted to see government trucks on the scene to pump out the water.
Moroccan officials say search and rescue efforts are still continuing.
Experts say the climate crisis is partly responsible for the extreme weather fluctuations seen in the North African state.
It experienced drought for seven years in a row and its reservoirs were depleted.
Last year was officially the hottest year ever recorded.
Morocco’s meteorological service warned that this latest sudden downpour was expected to continue on Tuesday, along with snowfall in the Atlas mountains.
