Posted on December 16, 2025
Search and rescue operations continued in the Moroccan city of Safi after flash floods killed at least 37 people.
Drought-stricken Morocco often experiences adverse weather conditions, but Sunday's flooding in the coastal city is the deadliest such disaster in at least a decade.
A torrent of mud swept cars and containers from the streets of Safi, which is about 300 kilometers (190 miles) south of the capital, Rabat.
The General Directorate of Meteorology (DGM), Morocco's national meteorologist, warned that more storms are likely in the next three days in several regions, including Safi.
The survivors continue to receive treatment at the city's Mohammed V Hospital and two remain in intensive care, according to local officials.
Schools have been closed as mud and debris continue to clog the streets.
Safi is known as a center of arts and crafts, particularly terracotta pottery, and its streets were littered with smashed bowls and tagines.
The Moroccan prosecutor's office has opened an investigation to determine whether anyone is responsible for the extent of the damage, according to the official MAP news agency.
Addressing parliament, Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch said: “Thirty-seven millimeters (1.5 inches) of rain fell in a short period, hitting the historic river-crossed Bab Chabaa district of Safi and causing the deaths of numerous traders and workers.”
As the waters receded, a landscape of mud and overturned cars was revealed. Civil Protection Units and neighbors soon began to remove the debris.
Morocco is enduring its seventh consecutive year of severe drought, and last year was the hottest ever recorded in the North African kingdom.
Climate change has made storms more intense, as a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture and warmer seas can stimulate weather systems.
