More than 20 people have died following torrential downpours in the mountains and deserts of the Maghreb region of Northwestern Africa over the weekend.
Morocco and Algeria have between them reported nearly two dozen deaths, along with destroyed homes and battered critical infrastructure.
Videos on social media showed that some areas in the Sahara were drenched and the city of Ouarzazate, Morocco, saw entire streets flooded.
Moroccan officials said the two days of storms were above historic averages, with some areas seeing more than the annual average rainfall this past weekend.
The deluges affected some of the regions that experienced a deadly earthquake one year ago, which resulted in the deaths of almost 3,000 and the injury and displacement of thousands more.
Meteorologists had predicted that a rare deluge could strike North Africa’s Sahara Desert, where many areas receive less than one inch of rain annually.
Rabat said 18 people were killed in rural areas where infrastructure has historically been lacking, and 56 homes collapsed.
Nine people were also reported missing, while drinking water facilities and electrical infrastructure suffered damaged, along with major roads.
Among the dead in the region, which is a popular tourist destination, were nationals from Spain, Canada, and Peru.
Moroccan Interior Ministry spokesperson Rachid El Khalfi said in a statement on Monday that the government was working to restore communication and access to flooded regions in the “exceptional situation” and urged caution.
Morocco has been experiencing something of a water crisis after six years of drought, with dam levels reportedly as low as 28 percent capacity as of August.
In Algeria, authorities said at least five had died in the country’s desert provinces.
Algiers Interior Minister Brahim Merad described the situation as “catastrophic” on state television.
State-run news service APS said the government had sent thousands of civil protection and military officers to help with emergency response efforts and rescue families stuck in their homes.
Bridges and trains were also damaged by the downpour.
Algeria held a presidential election over the weekend, which saw incumbent President Abdulmadjid Tebboune returned with a reported 95 percent of the vote.
However, rival candidates have labelled the vote a “farce” and fewer than half of those eligible to vote were recorded as turning out at the ballot box.
Rescue efforts are still underway in both countries.
