Rare rain in the Sahara

A RARE deluge of rain has left blue lagoons of water amid the palm trees and sand dunes of the Sahara Desert, nourishing some of its most drought-stricken regions with more water than many have seen in decades.

South-eastern Morocco's desert is among the most arid places in the world and rarely experiences rain in late summer.

The Moroccan government said two days of rainfall in September had exceeded yearly averages in several areas that get an average of less than 250mm (10in) annually, including Tata, one of the hardest-hit areas.

In Tagounite, a village about 280 miles (450km) south of the capital, Rabat, more than 100mm (3.9in) was recorded in a 24-hour period.