Death toll rises in Morocco storms: Reports
Foul weather in Morocco has killed up to 11 people, just a week after a previous storm left 36 dead, media reports said on Monday.
Storms again lashed the south of the kingdom, with the resort of Agadir experiencing the equivalent of an entire year's rainfall - more than 250 millimetres (10 inches) - between Friday and Sunday.
The bad weather, which finally eased overnight, led to many rivers bursting their banks and causing widespread damage, especially in the Guelmim region 200 kilometres (125 miles) south of Agadir, which has been declared a disaster area.
No official death toll has yet been released.
"Another catastrophe: floods kill seven," headlined the Arabic-language daily al-Massae.
Local newspapers reported "anonymous official sources" as saying that two college students drowned on Friday in the Azilal region of the Anti-Atlas mountain range, and a youth was swept away southwest of Marrakesh.
Al-Massae and Akhbar al-Youm reported a woman and her child were killed when a house collapsed near Figuig, while Akhbar al-Youm said that it could only confirm that at least five people had been killed.
Al-Ittihad al-Ichtiraki newspaper said material damage ran into "billions" of dirhams (hundreds of millions of euros, dollars).
Hundreds of homes were destroyed, roads cut and power networks damaged, the authorities said, adding that at least 250 villages had been cut off over the weekend.
In the Guelmim region on the edge of the Sahara desert, that also bore the brunt of last week's deadly storms, whole districts were under water after dikes were breached.
Local authorities cited by the MAP news agency said several hundred people were being looked after because their homes were affected.
They said priority in Guelmim was being given to reopening roads, restoring power and providing drinking water and health services.
Middle East Eye propose une couverture et une analyse indépendantes et incomparables du Moyen-Orient, de l’Afrique du Nord et d’autres régions du monde. Pour en savoir plus sur la reprise de ce contenu et les frais qui s’appliquent, veuillez remplir ce formulaire [en anglais]. Pour en savoir plus sur MEE, cliquez ici [en anglais].