Flooding in southern Morocco leaves four dead and 14 missing
Heavy rains in Tata region cause fatalities, missing persons, and destroyed homes.
Moroccan authorities reported on Sunday that flooding in the southern regions resulted in four fatalities and left 14 individuals missing.
Heavy rains that began on Friday in Tata province, located around 740 kilometres south of Rabat, caused the casualties. A local official indicated that the death toll might increase. Floodwaters destroyed eight houses in valleys near Tamanart, a rural area in the Tata region.
Officials stated that typically arid areas in southern Morocco and Algeria have experienced floods due to heavy rainfall since Friday. A spokesman for the Moroccan General Directorate of Meteorology, Lhoussaine Youabd, said these regions were impacted by an “extremely unstable tropical air mass”. This phenomenon led to the formation of violent clouds and significant rainfall, causing river flooding.
In the Ouarzazate region, 47 millimetres of rain fell within three hours, while Tagounite, near the Algerian border, received 170 millimetres, according to the Moroccan weather service. The region had been suffering from a drought for at least six years, exacerbating the impact of the sudden rains.
Neighbouring Algeria also faced severe weather, with authorities confirming one death and one person missing due to floods in the south. A young girl was swept away by floodwaters in Illizi, and another individual remained unaccounted for after becoming trapped in a vehicle. Algerian civil defence rescued several families from flooded rivers in Illizi and Bechar.
“Violent Clouds”: 4 Dead, 14 Missing After Heavy Flooding Morocco https://t.co/XcFyGonecG pic.twitter.com/EDdxOJ73oQ
— NDTV (@ndtv) September 9, 2024
Social media videos showed drenched areas in the Sahara desert. In Ouarzazate, entire streets were submerged. Local resident Omar Gana noted that such heavy rain hadn’t been seen in a decade. Morocco has been experiencing severe water stress, with dam levels dropping to less than 28 percent capacity by the end of August.
The rains were accompanied by strong winds, with Ouarzazate experiencing gusts up to 100 kilometres per hour, and Marrakesh up to 76 kilometres per hour, creating an optical phenomenon that tinted the sky orange.
What Other Media Are Saying
- DAWN.COM reports that an audit reveals serious financial irregularities in Pakistan’s defence sector, including advance payments and rule violations, calling for an inquiry to fix responsibility.(read more)
- Barrons reports that four people died and 14 are missing in Morocco due to flooding caused by an exceptional climate phenomenon, affecting usually arid areas.(read more)
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some common questions asked about this news
How many people died in the recent floods in southern Morocco?
Four people died in the recent floods.
How many people are missing due to the flooding in southern Morocco?
Fourteen people are missing due to the flooding.
What caused the recent flooding in southern Morocco?
An ‘exceptional’ climate phenomenon with unstable tropical air masses caused the flooding.
How much rain did the Ouarzazate region receive in three hours?
The Ouarzazate region received 47 millimeters of rain in three hours.
What was the impact of the flooding in neighboring Algeria?
One person died, and another is missing in southern Algeria due to flooding.
