Rabat, Morocco — At least 24 people died after heavy rain flooded an illegal underground textile workshop in a private house in Morocco’s port of Tangiers, the state news agency reported Monday.
Rescue workers recovered 24 bodies from the property and rescued 10 survivors who were taken to hospital, the MAP agency said citing local authorities. A search of the premises was continuing.
Local media outlets indicated at least some of the victims may have been electrocuted as the incoming water interfered with power facilities, but there was no immediate confirmation of those reports.
Morocco has experienced heavy rains in recent weeks, after a long period of drought.
In early January, the inclement weather caused several dilapidated buildings to collapse in Casablanca, the country’s economic capital, causing at least four deaths, according to local media.
Poorly maintained drainage systems often exacerbate flooding in cities.
Fifty people died in floods in 2014 caused by heavy rains in the south of Morocco.