Heavy flooding in southeastern Morocco leaves 11 dead and a dozen missing

Search efforts continue in southeastern Morocco following torrential rains that have already left 11 people dead and a dozen missing. The authorities warned that the phenomenon is due to ‘exceptional’ causes. 

Interior Ministry spokesman Rachid Khalfi said that more than 17 prefectures and provinces of the Kingdom were affected by the storms, most of which were electrical in nature. 

‘The southern parts of the country were affected by an extremely unstable tropical air mass,’ said Lhoussaine Youabd, spokesman for the Moroccan Directorate General of Meteorology. ‘This led to the formation of unstable and violent clouds that caused massive rainfall,’ he said. 

The Tata region, 740 kilometres (km) from Rabat, has been the worst hit by the rains. Seven people are reported dead in the province. 

In both the Errachidia region, 500 km east of Marrakech, and in Tiznit, two people were killed, according to the first preliminary death toll reported by Khalfi on Sunday. So far only one of the dead was a foreign national, but no further details were given. 

The storms were devastating. It is estimated that in a single day some of the affected regions reached their annual rainfall totals, with some even exceeding the average. ‘The amount of rainfall we have witnessed in the last two days is equivalent to what these regions usually experience in a whole year,’ said Rachid Khalfi. 

Tata has recorded 250 millimetres (mm) of rainfall, Tinghir 203 mm, Figuig 114 mm and Ouarzazate 82 mm. Some areas on the Algerian border belonging to Algeria also recorded unusual figures and the death of one person in Illizi and two missing persons in El Bayadh and Tamanrasset respectively. 

In terms of material damage, initial reports showed that 40 houses were damaged, 24 of which were rendered unusable. The collapse led to the paralysis of 4 projects in the area and damage to 93 stretches of roads of all types, from national to provincial. At present, the authorities have restored traffic on 53 stretches, the ministry representative added. 

In terms of infrastructure, power lines were also affected, suspending drinking water services in many surrounding towns and villages. Authorities in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya have warned citizens that the risk of flooding will spread over the next week.