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A flash flood in a Moroccan coastal town killed at least 37, local officials said Monday, as search and rescue operations continued.
Drought-hit Morocco is often hit by severe weather, but Sunday’s flooding in Safi is already the deadliest such disaster in at least a decade. A muddy torrent swept cars and bins from the streets in Safi, about 300 kilometres (186 miles) south of the capital Rabat.
Fourteen survivors are being treated at Mohammed V hospital in the town, and two of them are in intensive care, according to local officials updating the overnight toll.
Schools have been closed for at least three days, and mud and debris clog the streets.
“I’ve lost all my clothes. Only my neighbour gave me some to cover myself. I have nothing left. I’ve lost everything,” one victim told AFP, asking not to give her name.
At least 70 homes and businesses in the historic town centre were flooded, and 55-year-old shopkeeper Abdelkader Mezraoui said the retail economy had been devastated.
“Jewellery store owners have lost all their stock and the same goes for clothing store owners,” he said, calling for official compensation to save businesses.
As the waters receded, they left behind a landscape of mud and overturned cars. Onlookers watched Civil Protection units and residents working to clear debris.
Morocco is struggling with a severe drought for the seventh consecutive year, and last year was the North African kingdom’s hottest on record. Climate change has made storms more intense because a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture, and warmer seas can turbocharge weather systems.
Flash floods killed hundreds in Morocco in 1995 and scores in 2002.
