Morocco has deployed army rescue units to help evacuate thousands of people after floods triggered by torrential rains and rising river levels hit parts of the country’s northwest.

Weeks of heavy rainfall, combined with water releases from a nearly full dam nearby, increased water levels in the Loukous River and flooded several neighbourhoods in the city of Ksar Kbir, about 190 km (118 miles) north of the capital Rabat, a national flood follow-up committee said.

More than 20,000 people had been moved to shelters and camps by Saturday, official media reported.

Authorities set up sandbags and temporary barriers in flood-prone districts as waters began to recede. Schools in Ksar Kbir have been ordered to remain closed until February 7 as a precaution.

In the nearby province of Sidi Kacem, rising levels of the Sebou River prompted evacuations from several villages as authorities raised vigilance levels.

According to official data, last month, 37 people were killed in flash floods in the Atlantic coastal city of Safi, south of Rabat.