Moroccan emergency crews pulled 16 bodies from the mud after rare summer torrential rains triggered a landslide that buried a minibus, public broadcaster 2M reported Friday.
Local officials contacted by Agence France Presse confirmed that Wednesday evening's deluge in the Atlas mountains south of Marrakesh had triggered flash flooding.
The accident took place in the area of Asni. The van was carrying passengers from Casablanca to the village of Taliouine, 670 km south of Rabat, witnesses said.
The downpour dislodged masses of earth and rocks as high as 20 meters in places that buried the minibus.
The officials said they could not immediately confirm the death toll.
But 2M said on its website that emergency services recovered 16 bodies after working through the night.
