00:00Flooding caused by heavy rains has claimed at least 37 lives in the Moroccan coastal city of Safi.
00:06According to the Interior Ministry, authorities reported that overnight,
00:10intense rainfall and flash floods inundated around 70 homes and businesses and swept away 10 vehicles.
00:1714 people have been hospitalized.
00:20Local hospitals announced a three-day closure due to the conditions.
00:24Flooding has also affected other parts of Morocco, including Totuan in the north and Tingir.
00:29In the mountains, Safi, located on Morocco's Atlantic coast about 200 miles from Rabat,
00:35is a key center for the country's fishing and mining industries, employing thousands.
00:39Experts say climate change is making weather patterns more unpredictable in Morocco.
00:44Years of drought have hardened soils and increased vulnerability to flooding in mountains, deserts and plains.
00:51Last year, floods in normally dry areas resulted nearly two dozen days across Morocco and Algeria.
00:57This week's flood follows a tragic incident in France where 22 people died after building collapse.
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