At least 19 killed in collapse of buildings in Morocco

At least 19 people were killed and 16 injured when two buildings collapsed in Fez, one of Morocco’s oldest cities, state news media reported.

On Wednesday, local authorities in Fez province reported the collapse of two adjacent four-story buildings.

The state news agency said eight families lived in the Al-Mustaqbal neighborhood of the buildings.

In the statement, it was stated that as soon as they were informed of the incident, local authorities, security forces and civil protection units came to the scene and immediately started search and rescue operations.

Fez, an ancient capital dating back to the eighth century and the country’s third most populous city, was caught up in a wave of protests against the government two months ago over deteriorating living conditions and poor public services.

State news site SNRT said “the scene shows that the two collapsed buildings had been showing signs of cracking for some time without any effective preventive measures.”

Reuters could not independently verify the news agency’s damage report, and the Interior Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Most of Morocco’s population, financial, industrial centers and vital infrastructure are concentrated in the northwest, with the rest of the country dependent on agriculture, fishing and tourism.

In October, youth-led unrest revealed deep anger over poverty and public services as the government pressed ahead with ambitious infrastructure projects and the opening of modern stadiums ahead of the 2030 World Cup.

Inspired by similar uprisings in Nepal, Madagascar and Peru, protests in major cities turned into riots in rural towns and remote cities. Three people were shot dead when they tried to attack a security headquarters, and more than 400 people were arrested before the violence subsided.