Death Toll from Torrential Rains in Morocco Rises to 11

Eleven people died and nine others are missing following the torrential rains that hammered 17 provinces of Morocco, the Moroccan Interior Ministry said citing a provisional report. Seven deaths were recorded in the province of Tata, two in the province of Tiznit and two other victims, including a foreign national, in the province of Errachidia, the Interior ministry spokesperson, Rachid El Khalfi, told the press in Rabat today. Nine other people are missing in the provinces of Tata, Errachidia and Taroudant, Maghreb Arabe Press (MAP) quoted El Khalfi as saying. The spokesperson noted that the torrential rains recorded over the last two days represent about half of the annual rainfall in the region. Tackling the material losses in the affected areas, the spokesperson reported the collapse of 40 homes, 24 of which completely collapsed, as well as the total or partial collapse of four medium-sized engineering structures. He also noted that 93 road sections were damaged, including national, regional and pro vincial roads, leading to the interruption of traffic. Torrential rains also damaged electricity and drinking water supply networks as well as telephone networks, he added. Local authorities and all stakeholders, including the Royal Armed Forces, the Royal Gendarmerie, National Police, Auxiliary Forces and Civil Protection as well as all technical departments concerned, mobilized all the human and logistical resources necessary to intervene immediately and deal with this exceptional situation, by offering the necessary support to the populations, the spokesperson said. Efforts are still underway to open up the affected areas, reactivate road and electricity networks, re-supply drinking water and restore communication services, he stressed. Source: Oman News Agency