19 dead, 16 injured after two buildings collapse in Morocco’s Fes

RABAT(Morocco): At least 19 people have been killed and 16 injured after two buildings collapsed in Morocco’s historic Fes city, according to the state news agency, as reported by Al Jazeera. Local reports said children were also among the victims.

The two four-storey buildings were located in the Al-Mustaqbal neighbourhood. As per Al Jazeera, a total of eight families were living in the buildings at the time of the collapse.

Police and civil protection teams rushed to the scene, and videos on social media showed rescue workers searching through the rubble. The injured were taken to the University Hospital Centre in Fes, the state agency said.

The incident has renewed concerns over unsafe and ageing structures in Moroccan cities. In September, protests broke out over poor living conditions, poverty and lack of public services.

Fes has reported similar accidents before. In February last year, five people died when a house collapsed in the city’s old quarter.

Across the country, building collapses have been a recurring issue. In 2016, two deadly collapses within a week killed several people in Marrakesh and injured more than 20 others.

A government assessment in 2023 identified over 12,000 buildings in Marrakesh and nearby regions as vulnerable, according to local media reports cited by Al Jazeera. Some officials have said many structures may have weakened further after the massive earthquakes that struck Morocco in the same year, Al Jazeera reported.

Authorities are continuing rescue work and have begun investigating the cause of Wednesday’s collapse. (ANI)