November 26, 2002
35 People Die in Morocco Floods
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 7:19 a.m. ET
RABAT, Morocco (AP) -- Floods caused by torrential rains in several regions of Morocco have killed at least 35 people, the official news agency reported Tuesday.
Monday's flooding left 30 people dead in the Settat region alone, 19 of them in the town of El-Gara, the MAP news agency said. Eight other people were reported missing in the farming region, about 45 miles southeast of Casablanca.
A father and his four children were crushed when their house collapsed in the village of Tamra, in the Fez region, some 125 miles east of Rabat, the North African kingdom's capital, the news agency said.
Heavy damage was reported in Mohammedia, an oil refinery town between Rabat and Casablanca, with about 10 companies flooded and cars and even an oil tank swept away by the swollen Oued El Maleh river, MAP said.
Tents, covers, food and other supplies were being furnished for those in need.
The torrential rains Sunday and Monday came amid a four-year drought in Morocco.