by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent
SAFI, MOROCCO (Worthy News) — Residents mourned and counted the cost Tuesday as Moroccan authorities confirmed that at least 37 people were killed after torrential rain and flash floods inundated about 70 homes and businesses in the coastal city of Safi, in what officials described as the deadliest such disaster in Morocco in at least a decade.
Footage obtained by Worthy News showed vehicles being swept away in streets turned into violent rivers, leaving residents visibly shocked as muddy torrents tore through neighborhoods.
“What do you want me to say?” asked Hamza Elhaj, a Safi resident. “My friends are dead, my neighbors are dead. We lost people we grew up with in the city,” the young man said. “It shocks us deeply, I swear to God.” Elhaj then covered his face with his hands and began to cry.
RESCUE OPERATIONS CONTINUE
Search and rescue teams continued operations Tuesday as authorities warned of further risks. Survivors were still receiving treatment at Mohammed V Hospital in Safi, with two people remaining in intensive care, according to local officials.
The flash flooding was triggered by sudden, intense rainfall late Sunday, when muddy waters swept cars, rubbish bins, and debris through the streets of the historic city, located about 300 kilometers (190 miles) south of Rabat.
Morocco’s Interior Ministry said the flooding followed exceptionally intense rainfall. Addressing parliament, Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch said 37 millimeters (1.5 inches) of rain fell in a very short period, striking the historic Bab Chabaa district, which is crossed by a river, and killing numerous merchants and workers.
FURTHER STORMS WARNED
Morocco’s national weather forecaster, the General Directorate of Meteorology (DGM), warned that further thunderstorms are likely over the next three days in several regions, including Safi, raising fears of additional flooding.
Schools in the city were closed as mud and debris continued to clog streets. As floodwaters receded, residents and Civil Protection units began clearing overturned cars and thick layers of sludge from roads and homes.
Safi, known as a center for arts and crafts—particularly terracotta pottery—saw its streets strewn with shattered bowls and tajines after the floods.
CAUSES UNDER SCRUTINY
The Moroccan prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation to determine whether anyone bears responsibility for the scale of the damage, according to the official MAP news agency.
Climate-change-concerned experts and officials say shifting weather patterns are making Morocco more vulnerable to extreme events, including prolonged droughts punctuated by sudden, deadly downpours. Other experts, including climate-skeptical voices, argue that rapid urbanization, poor drainage, and weak infrastructure often play a decisive role in such disasters.
As Safi buries its dead, residents face the daunting task of rebuilding amid fears that more storms may still be on the way.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
More Worthy News
Israel expanded its military campaign against Hezbollah on Monday, striking more than 70 targets across Lebanon as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to increase pressure on the Iranian-backed terror group following a sharp rise in drone and rocket attacks on northern Israel.
A federal appeals court is weighing whether Kansas City can use its public accommodation ordinance to require Christian counselors to counsel gay married couples despite the counselors’ biblical convictions on marriage and sexuality.
Tens of thousands of evangelical Christians gathered in the Netherlands for one of Europe’s largest multi-day Christian events, with organizers and participants expressing hopes for spiritual revival in the nation and across Europe.
President Donald Trump pushed back Monday against sharp criticism from Republicans and former administration officials over a potential U.S.-Iran agreement, insisting that any final accord must prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon or it will not be signed.
President Donald Trump said Monday that countries involved in negotiations over Iran should be required to join the Abraham Accords, signaling that the White House is seeking to turn a possible Iran agreement into a wider regional realignment that includes normalization with Israel.
Tensions remained high in Serbia’s capital Belgrade on Sunday after at least tens of thousands of people demanded elections and rallied against what they view as the increasingly authoritarian rule of President Aleksandar Vučić, with violence erupting after the protest and more than 20 people arrested.
Investigations were ongoing Sunday into the killing of three senior Kuki-Thadou Christian church leaders by unidentified gunmen in India’s northeastern Manipur State, Christian investigators told Worthy News.