The death toll from the collapse of two residential buildings in Fez’s Massira–Zouagha district, has reportedly risen to 16, including four children.
The collapse of the two residential buildings took place on Tuesday night around 10 p.m.
Converging reports have cited initial figures from the Ministry of Health, stating that several people were injured in the incident. The injuries are of varying degrees. Some of the victims sustained serious injuries.
The tragic incident caused panic and frustration across Morocco.
Pictures and footage online show police and civil protection services dispatched for rescue operations.
Official media has still not reported about the tragedy and the reason for the collapse remains unknown.
Some reports say the cause is the fragility of the buildings. This is not the first time such an issue has occurred in Morocco.
Several incidents of this kind have happened in various areas, including Fez, Casablanca, and Rabat.
In October, two people were killed and two others were injured when a four-storey building collapsed in the Derb Ramad area of the old medina of Casablanca.
In May of this year, the collapse of a multi-story residential building in Fez killed at least nine people and injured at least seven in Hay El Hassani district in Fez.
Morocco’s government has been pledging to tackle at-risk buildings across the country.
In September 2023, Morocco identified over 12,000 buildings as vulnerable in Marrakech and nearby regions.
Authorities suggest that the vulnerability of some buildings is the result of the structural damages that occurred after the devastating earthquake that struck the Al Haouz region on September 8 of the same year.
