At least 19 people have died, and 16 others were injured after two four-storey residential buildings collapsed overnight in the Moroccan city of Fez, the state-run Maghreb Arabe Press (MAP) reported on Wednesday. Rescue teams are still searching the rubble for survivors, and officials warn that the death toll may rise.
The buildings, located in the Al-Moustakbal neighbourhood of the Al-Massira district, were home to eight families. Early morning visuals showed emergency workers carrying bodies in grey bags as distressed residents looked on. Rescuers used jackhammers, pickaxes, and heavy machinery to dig through the debris in a race against time.
According to MAP, authorities quickly cordoned off the surrounding area and evacuated nearby structures to prevent further casualties. All injured individuals were shifted to the University Hospital Centre in Fez for treatment.
This tragedy is among the deadliest building collapses Morocco has seen in recent years. Fez has witnessed similar incidents in the past, including a house collapse in the old city last year that killed five people. In 2016, two fatal collapses in Marrakech and another city claimed multiple lives, while a major incident in 2014 in Casablanca killed 23 residents.
Investigations are underway to determine what caused the latest collapse as rescue operations continue.
