Moroccan authorities say 15 people have been killed in a landslide that buried their van under 20 metres of earth, leaving no survivors.

The dead include a six-year-old, according to a local official at the scene of Thursday's tragedy.

Heavy rainfall triggered multiple landslides in the area, blocking a road connecting Casablanca to southern Morocco and hindering rescue efforts.

It took nearly 24 hours for emergency workers to dig out the van. The bodies were dug out overnight and transported to the Marrakech morgue, where the victims' families are now waiting, said the official, who wasn't authorized to be publicly named.

The Interior Ministry announced the deaths Friday, without providing further details. </s> Authorities have so far recovered the bodies of 18 of the victims, including women and children.

Rabat – On the night of Wednesday July 24, in the region of El Haouz (a province in the region of Marrakesh-Safi), a vehicle transporting several people flipped on national road n° 7.

A section of a mountain located between the municipalities of Ijoukak and Asni collapsed on top of the vehicle which was traveling to Taliouine (212 kilometers south of Marrakech).

According to local sources, the passengers were from Casablanca and were heading to Taliouine to celebrate Eid El Adha with their families.

In a press release, the Ministry of the Interior reported that the landslide was due to heavy rainfall in the area a few days before the accident.

More than 6 hours after the accident, the emergency services are still active. Rescue teams are still on-site trying to extract victims’ bodies and find possible survivors.

Ali Tani, a councilor in the rural commune of Tizi N’Test (135 kilometers south-west of Marrakech), explains that Civil Protection officers have so far uncovered 18 bodies.

The authorities have opened an investigation into the incident under the supervision of the Prosecutor’s Office. The 18 bodies were taken to the morgue of Marrakech hospital. </s> A landslide killed 15 people riding in a van in the Atlas Mountains south of Marrakech, Morocco local authorities said on Friday.

The landslide, caused by heavy rain, buried the van on Wednesday evening in the area of Asni.

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The bodies of 11 women, three men and a child were extracted overnight from the van, authorities said in a statement.

The van was carrying passengers from Casablanca to the village of Taliouine, 670 kilometres south of Rabat, witnesses said.

The landslide created a pile of earth and mud 20 meters high that blocked the mountainous road. </s> RABAT (AFP) - Moroccan emergency crews pulled 15 bodies from the mud after a rare summer downpour triggered a landslide that buried a minibus, the authorities said on Friday (July 26).

The victims - eleven women, three men and one child - were found in the bus buried about 20m under the masses of earth and rock dislodged by the rain, local authorities said.

"There are no survivors," they said in a statement.

The official toll comes after public broadcaster 2M reported on Friday morning that 16 bodies had been recovered.

The bus was buried on Wednesday evening when a deluge in the Atlas mountains south of Marrakesh triggered flash flooding.

Images released by the authorities show excavators working to dig a path to the bus, more than 24 hours after it was engulfed by the debris.

A weather alert on Tuesday warned of storms in several provinces in the North African country, which rarely receives summer rains.

Investment in Morocco's road network has largely focused on the main transport arteries and many rural areas can be reached only by dirt tracks that are vulnerable to extreme weather.

Every year, nearly 3,500 people are killed on the North African country's roads.
Heavy rains in Al Haouz Province, Morocco, trigger a landslide, resulting in the deaths of 15 people.