More than a dozen killed after flooding in Morocco and Algeria

Torrential downpours in Morocco and Algeria over the weekend caused flooding that killed more than a dozen people and destroyed homes and critical infrastructure.

Officials in Morocco said 11 people were killed in rural areas where infrastructure has historically been lacking, and 24 homes collapsed. Nine people remain missing.

Families in Ouarzazate waded through floodwaters with their belongings, carrying children and helping the elderly to get to higher ground.

Drinking water and electrical infrastructure were damaged, along with major roads.

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In Morocco, officials said the two days of storms surpassed historic averages, in some cases exceeding the annual average rainfall.

The downpours affected some of the regions that experienced a deadly earthquake in September 2023.

Meteorologists had predicted that a rare deluge could strike North Africa’s Sahara Desert, where many areas receive less than an inch of rain a year.

Rachid El Khalfi, Morocco’s Interior Ministry spokesperson, said in a statement on Sunday that the government was working to restore communication and access to flooded regions in the “exceptional situation” and urged people to use caution.

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 called the situation “catastrophic” on state-owned television.

Algeria’s state-run news service APS said the government had 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.

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