At least 19 people were killed and 16 others injured after two four-storey buildings collapsed overnight in the Moroccan city of Fez, the country’s official news agency, Maghreb Arabe Press (MAP), reported on Wednesday. Search operations are ongoing as rescuers continue to look for potential survivors trapped under the rubble.
The buildings, located in the Al-Moustakbal neighbourhood of the Al-Massira area, housed eight families. Early morning images showed emergency responders carrying bodies in grey body bags, while residents watched the rescue efforts unfold. Workers using jackhammers, pickaxes, and mechanical excavators dug through the debris in a race against time. Local authorities have warned that the death toll could rise.
MAP stated that safety measures had been implemented, including securing the surrounding area and evacuating nearby buildings. The injured were transported to Fez’s University Hospital Centre.
The incident is one of the deadliest building collapses in Morocco in recent years. In February last year, five people died when a house collapsed in Fez’s old city. In 2016, two deadly collapses occurred within a week - one in Marrakech killing two children, and another four-storey building collapse that left four dead and injured two dozen more. In 2014, three buildings collapsed in Casablanca, killing 23 people.
Authorities continue to investigate the cause of the collapse as rescue operations proceed.
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