32 dead as floods sweep Morocco

5 Dariya News

Rabat 24-Nov-2014

At least 32 people were killed and six were missing as of Monday due to the heavy rains and flooding experienced in various regions of Morocco over the last two days, the interior ministry said.According to the latest information from the ministry, 24 of the 32 deaths occurred in the southeastern city of Guelmim, near the Algerian border.Across the country, rescuers managed to evacuate 214 people who had been swept away or cut off by swollen rivers that burst their banks. The last 14 people in that group were rescued Monday morning by a helicopter of the border guards.

Floods and road closures have affected many cities in all parts of the country, particularly in the south, where surging floodwaters have swept away bridges and roads, cars, buses and trucks.Moroccan media have published footage showing water innundating roads, along with collapsed bridges, demolished homes or cars and trucks floating in the water.Several national highways like the one linking Marrakech and Fez in the north, or Marrakech and Ouarzazate in the south, have been cut by the floods, the media reports indicated.