A tragic building collapse in the northern Moroccan city of Fes has claimed at least 22 lives, authorities confirmed on Wednesday, marking the deadliest structural disaster to strike the country in nearly a decade.
Sixteen others were injured, while rescue teams continued searching for survivors amid fears that more people may be buried beneath the rubble, according to the state-run MAP news agency.
In a statement, the Fes prosecutor’s office revealed that one of the two adjacent buildings had been hosting a family celebration when it gave way, while the second structure was unoccupied. An official investigation has been launched to “determine the real causes” of the deadly incident.
The buildings collapsed overnight in the Al-Moustakbal neighborhood of the Al-Massira district, sending shockwaves through the densely populated area.
Pre-dawn images captured first responders carrying bodies in grey bags toward emergency vehicles as crowds of distraught residents looked on.
Rescue workers used jackhammers, pickaxes, and mechanical excavators to dig through the debris in a race against time.
Mohamed, a local resident interviewed by Le 360, suggested that construction standards may have been ignored when residents began building homes on plots allocated to them in 2007 under a resettlement program. “After 2007, everyone built as they wished,” he said.
Local media echoed these concerns. TelQuel magazine reported that the homes had not been subject to official oversight, and some tenants may have failed to comply with approved development plans.
A Decade of Deadly Collapses
Authorities warned that the death toll may rise as rescue operations continue. MAP reported that emergency teams have taken “necessary preventative measures,” including securing the surrounding area and evacuating nearby buildings at risk. The injured were transported to the University Hospital Centre in Fes.
This incident is the deadliest building collapse in Morocco in ten years. In 2014, three buildings in Casablanca fell, killing 23 people.
Two years later, two separate collapses — one in Marrakech and another in a western city — left six people dead and injured dozens more.
Last year alone, Fes experienced two fatal collapses: five people died in the old city in February, and nine others were killed in May when a residential building — previously flagged as unsafe — caved in after residents ignored evacuation orders.
As investigators work to determine what caused the latest tragedy, grief and anger hang heavy over Fes, with residents demanding accountability and safer housing standards to prevent future disasters.
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