Record Rain Kills Over 20 In Morocco, Algeria
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
RABAT (Worthy News) – Rescue workers searched for people beneath rubble, but hope was fastly evaporating in areas of Morocco and Algeria where floods from record torrential rains killed more than 20 people, officials said.
The torrential downpours that hit North Africa’s normally arid mountains and deserts over the weekend made most victims in Morocco’s southern provinces of Tata, Tiznit, Errachidia, Tinghir, and Taroudant.
Several people remained missing early Tuesday after floods swamped many villages since Saturday.
The dead include three foreign nationals from Spain, Canada, and Peru, officials said.
The floods destroyed 56 homes and damaged 110 roads, as well as damaging electricity, water supply, and phone networks.
Footage seen by Worthy News showed desperate survivors near destroyed homes. Authorities said the two days of storms surpassed historic averages, in some cases exceeding the annual average rainfall.
In neighboring Algeria, which held a presidential election over the weekend, authorities said at least five died in the country’s desert provinces.
Interior Minister Brahim Merad told the media that the situation was “catastrophic,” and authorities sent thousands of civil protection and military officers to help with emergency response efforts and rescue families stuck in their homes.
The floods also damaged bridges and trains in Algeria, media reported.