Heavy rainfall has killed at least 37 people, inundating homes and sweeping away vehicles

Severe flooding caused by torrential rains has killed at least 37 people in the Moroccan coastal city of Safi, the Interior Ministry said on Monday. 

Authorities said flash floods hit the region on Sunday morning, inundating around 70 homes and businesses and sweeping away at least ten vehicles. Fourteen people were hospitalized with various injuries, while rescue operations remain ongoing.

According to Morocco World news, Khalid Iazza, director of Mohammed V Hospital in Safi, said an emergency plan was activated to respond to the influx of victims after heavy rainfall. Speaking at a parliamentary session, Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch noted that 37 millimeters of rain (1.5 inches) in a short time had fallen in the city.

Local media reported that schools in Safi announced a three-day closure in the wake of the disaster. Footage shared on social media shows streets transformed into raging rivers, with cars stranded or submerged in rapidly rising waters.

Authorities told local outlets that civil protection services, security forces, and emergency teams were deployed to search for missing individuals, assist residents, and stabilize the affected areas. 

Flooding and infrastructure damage were also reported in the northern city of Tetouan and the mountain town of Tinghir. Four people were killed after their vehicle was swept into a river by strong currents in Tinghir province, Xinhua reported, citing local media.

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Morocco has been hit by intense rainfall and snowfall in the Atlas Mountains after seven years of drought that had depleted several of the country's major reservoirs.

The flooding comes after another national tragedy last week in which 19 people were killed and 16 injured in the collapse of two residential buildings in the city of Fez, Morocco's third-largest urban center.