Heavy rain and sudden flood surges killed at least 37 people in Safi province and triggered street flooding, road damage and housing collapses across parts of northern and inland Morocco over the weekend, according to Moroccan authorities and local media, as forecasters kept multiple regions under orange level alerts.
In Safi, the public prosecutor said on Monday, a judicial police investigation had been opened into the circumstances of the flood surges that struck the province late Sunday, after authorities reported an updated provisional death toll of 37.
Officials also reported 14 injured people receiving treatment, including two in intensive care, and said search and rescue operations were continuing on the ground.
The fatal floods in Safi followed a fast moving storm episode that also hit the country’s north, where local outlets reported partial flooding in several coastal cities.
Morocco’s national broadcaster reported the provincial education directorate in Tetouan suspended classes on Monday, citing an official weather alert and recommendations from a provincial vigilance cell.
On Saturday, heavy rain in northern Morocco caused runoff and partial flooding that submerged streets and alleys in Tetouan and Martil and slowed traffic, with videos circulating online showing waterlogged roads.
Rainfall affected Tetouan province and Mdiq Fnideq prefecture, with floodwater pooling at multiple points and leaving material damage to cars and motorbikes. Local media described vehicles inundated along the road linking Martil and Tetouan, and said drainage systems struggled to absorb the volume of water in a short period.
In Chefchaouen province, local outlet Chaouen Press reported floods in the rural commune of Amtar during the night of Saturday to Sunday damaged tracks and sections of road, disrupting movement and prompting calls for drivers to avoid affected segments until repairs are made.
Further inland, the storm impacts extended into Drâa Tafilalet. In Errachidia province, heavy rainfall in the commune of Al Jorf caused the Oued Al Batha to overflow, leading to the collapse of homes in Ksar Al Manqara and damaging others, with local witnesses describing families displaced and authorities yet to publish an official tally of losses as of Sunday.
In Tinghir province, Moroccan outlets reported a deadly incident linked to flood conditions at Oued Fzou, where a four wheel drive vehicle overturned while attempting to cross a swollen wadi. The Telegraph Morocco outlet said four people died, with search teams recovering two bodies and continuing efforts to find the remaining victims.
The episode again underscored Morocco’s exposure to short duration high intensity rainfall that can overwhelm drainage networks, cut rural access routes and turn wadis into fatal crossings, concentrating human losses in minutes while spreading economic damage across multiple provinces.
Morocco’s weather service issued orange level warnings for heavy rain on Sunday in several provinces including Figuig, Errachidia, Safi, Sidi Bennour, El Jadida, Rehamna, Berkane and Nador, which also cited further warnings for snow at higher elevations in the days ahead.
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