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In Morocco, devastating floods have claimed the life of one child and left another missing, sparking outrage over the country's crumbling infrastructure amid heavy rains.

In Berkane, located in eastern Morocco, a nine-year-old girl was swept away on Thursday evening after falling into an open storm drain.

She had been walking with her father, who was also caught in the current. While bystanders managed to rescue the father, the girl was carried further into a waterway connected to the Charâa River. Despite efforts from civil defence teams, local authorities, and volunteers, the girl's body was found hours later, early Friday morning, in a riverbed just outside the city.

The incident occurred just hours before another tragedy unfolded in the Fquih Ben Saleh region, located 170 kilometres southeast of Rabat, in whichÌýa 10-year-old boy was swept away by floodwaters in the Safaya area after heavy rainfall caused a surge. The boy had been playing near a canal notorious for its strong current.

Despite a large-scale search operation, the child remains missing, reported .

The two incidents have sparked outrage over the poor and exposed infrastructure in both cities, which residents say have turned into death traps.

"If it wasn't for bystanders who helped the father, he would also be dead [...] Authorities should take accountability," said one resident in Berkane.

Moroccan officials have yet to publicly address the tragedies.

These incidents come amid unusually intense weather in the North African kingdom, including heavy rainfall and snowfall in many regions.

On Friday, the General Directorate of MeteorologyÌýissued a red alert, warning of strong thunderstorms and significant rainfall reaching up to 50mm, and snow accumulation at altitudes over 1,600 meters.

The storms have overwhelmed the country's infrastructure, exacerbating flooding in small cities, many of which suffer from poor urban planning.

The intensity of the recent rainfall has shocked a population that has endured six years of drought.

At the heart of this climatic upheaval is the clash of two opposing air masses, compounded by the long-term effects of drought and decaying infrastructure, according to the Moroccan climate platform Nechfate.

An extratropical cyclone in September brought intense rainfall, fuelled by warm, humid air from the south meeting cold air from the north, forming unstable clouds.

Since then, floods have inundated dozens of villages in southeastern Morocco, leaving at least 19 dead, including three foreign tourists, last year. The hardest-hit area was Tata, a stunning but underdeveloped oasis region.

With floods now returning, locals are deeply concerned about the increasing danger of flash floods as water levels rise rapidly amid heavy rains.

Authorities have yet to issue any concrete plans to address the growing climate disaster.