Floods kill 32 in Morocco

At least 32 people have been reported dead and many others missing after heavy rainfall and consequent flood in southern Morocco.

The heavy downpour over the weekend destroyed houses, vehicles, roads and properties, authorities said on Monday.

According to Reuters, flooding, which is quite common in the mostly arid desert region at this time of year, has in the past been the cause of violent protests by locals who were angered by “ineffective official response”.

A state television channel in the country showed local residents expressing anger after their homes were submerged near the town of Errachidia, saying prolonged closure of many national roads could trigger further angry protests.

Morocco’s King Mohamed has ordered the authorities to take all necessary emergency measures to support victims of the floods.

Residents of the region lamented their losses to the flood, which destroyed about 60 houses.

“We have lost everything, everything; now our families will sleep in the cold,” a woman in the Errachidia region told a Television channel.

“Their (the authorities’) previous programmes to restore our mud houses did not save us; our houses were just swept away.”

The army deployed helicopters to evacuate dozens of people, including some foreigners, in some areas threatened by rising river levels, the official news agency MAP reported.

The interior ministry has confirmed 32 deaths, 24 of which occurred in the region of Guelmim, a desert town.