Boy, 11, found dead as Ziz river levels rise
Rescue teams recovered the body of an 11-year-old boy swept away by the swollen Ziz River in Erfoud, Morocco, following heavy rainfall.
Rescue teams recovered the body of an 11-year-old boy on Wednesday after he was swept away by the swollen Ziz River in Erfoud, southeastern Morocco. The child disappeared around 6 p.m. Tuesday, prompting a search involving local authorities and Civil Protection personnel. Specialist divers later joined the operation, with local outlets reporting his body was found Wednesday evening, roughly 24 hours after he went missing.
The incident occurs as rising water levels have prompted warnings across the Drâa-Tafilalet region, where the Guir-Ziz-Ghris Basin Agency activated flood-monitoring and early-warning stations on October 18. The agency urged residents to avoid riverbeds and refrain from crossing waterways as increased runoff moved through the region’s river network. Water levels have also risen sharply at Hassan Addakhil Dam near Errachidia, where the reservoir’s filling rate increased from 65.04% on October 19 to 71.99% the following day.
Authorities have continued urging caution around swollen rivers and low-lying crossings, where rapidly moving water can remain dangerous even after rainfall subsides. The latest incident follows several days of heightened flood monitoring in southeastern Morocco, with the condition of roads and communities along the Ziz River still requiring assessment.
Why it mattersAn 11-year-old boy is dead after being swept away by the Ziz River, and residents are warned to stay away from waterways due to rising levels.