The driver of the bus fled the scene after the accident.
Rabat – Authorities are investigating the driver of the bus, which overturned at the Oued Damchan bridge in Errachidia province on Sunday, September 8.
The bus driver fled the scene immediately after the incident, Maghreb Arab Press (MAP) reported.
The news agency added that the driver was considered among the missing people before he admitted himself for treatment at the Moulay Ali Cherif regional hospital on Monday, September 9.
Security services are now investigating the driver. Emergency services managed to rescue 30 people.
The number of people who were rescued stands a 30. Local news outlets reported that the death toll has risen 17.
Floods due to heavy rains in the region blocked the road.
Morocco’s southern and central provinces saw heavy rains across August and September, claiming the lives of several people.
Read Also: Errachidia Flood Kills 11, Death Toll Continues to Rise
Flooding in the Taroudant region killed eight people after a river in the region, burst its banks onto a football pitch in August.
Heavy rains led to floods in the Khenifra province, in northern central Morocco, on September 2. The floods killed a teenage girl and an elderly man.
Moroccan media have been releasing special weather alerts recently to warn people of possible heavy rainfall, storms, and floods.
Authorities warned citizens to check weather forecasts to avoid similar incidents.
Equipment and transport Minister Abdelkader Amara told the press that “the National Meteorological Directorate published weather reports on a regular basis that must be taken into account and that citizens must be aware of the weather warnings issued by provincial and local officials.”
He added that weather issues “should not be treated carelessly.”