Rabat [Morocco], December 10 (ANI): At least 19 people were killed and 16 others injured after two buildings collapsed in Morocco’s historic city of Fes, according to state news agency reports cited by Al Jazeera. Local sources confirmed that children were among the victims.
The collapsed structures, both four-storey buildings, were located in the Al-Mustaqbal neighbourhood. Eight families were reportedly residing in the buildings at the time of the incident. Police and civil protection teams rushed to the scene, and social media videos showed rescue workers combing through the rubble. The injured were transported to the University Hospital Centre in Fes.
The tragedy has reignited concerns over unsafe and ageing buildings in Moroccan cities. Fes has experienced similar incidents in the past; in February 2024, five people died when a house collapsed in the city’s old quarter. Across Morocco, building collapses have been a recurring problem. In 2016, two separate collapses in Marrakesh within a week killed several people and injured more than 20.
A government assessment in 2023 identified over 12,000 buildings in Marrakesh and surrounding regions as vulnerable, with some structures potentially weakened further by the massive earthquakes that struck Morocco that year. Authorities continue rescue operations and have launched an investigation into the cause of Wednesday’s collapse.
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