At least 7 dead in flash floods in Southern Morocco

At least seven people watching a local soccer match in a southern Moroccan village died in a flash flood that swept across the football field.

Moroccan News Agency (MAP) said Thursday that, Wednesday’s flash flood suddenly caused a nearby river to swell.

This pushed torrents of water over the football field in Tizert, in the Taroudant region, where an amateur match was being played.

Spectators scrambled for their lives, some climbed on roofs, but at least seven people died, including a 17-year-old boy, MAP reported.

An elderly man was injured.

Among the victims was recently married 35 year old Hanafi Hilali, who was seeking refuge on top of a dressing room but was swept away by the roaring waters, his brother Mohamed Hilali told the Associated Press.

The two were trapped on the field, but Mohammed raced to rescue his son and his cousin, both young children.

An official probe is underway.

AP