SAFI: Flash floods have killed at least 37 people in Morocco’s coastal Safi region, according to state-owned television. Cars and mounds of rubbish were seen sweeping through the main port city of Safi after torrential rain hit on Sunday.

According to BBC, dozens of people have been receiving treatment in hospital for their injuries, say local authorities, and at least 70 homes have been inundated in the old city center. Local reports indicate that access to and from the city is blocked on certain roads because of damage and debris.

Residents on Sunday described it as a dark day, with one telling the AFP news agency: “I’ve lost all my clothes. Only my neighbor gave me some to cover myself. I have nothing left. I’ve lost everything.” Another survivor expressed a desire to see government trucks at the scene to pump out the water.

Moroccan authorities state that search and rescue missions are still under way. Experts suggest that the climate crisis is partially responsible for the extreme weather fluctuations seen in the North African state, which has suffered seven years of drought in a row, depleting its reservoirs.

Last year was officially the hottest ever on record. This latest, sudden downpour is expected to continue on Tuesday together with snowfall across the Atlas mountains, Morocco’s weather service warns.