At least 19 people have died and 16 others have been injured after two buildings collapsed in the historic city of Fes on Wednesday, according to Morocco’s state news agency. Local media reported that children were among the dead, heightening national shock over the country’s growing struggle with unsafe housing.
The four storey structures, located in the Al Mustaqbal neighbourhood, were home to eight families. Police and civil protection teams rushed to the scene as residents shared videos online showing frantic rescue efforts and clouds of dust rising from the rubble. The injured were moved to the University Hospital Centre in Fes for treatment.
Fes is one of the cities billed as venue for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) to be hosted by Morocco, starting December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026, a major event for the country and African football. It is not immediately clear if the collapse will affect the AFCON hosting.
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A local resident, speaking to Al Jazeera, said the collapse felt “like the ground gave up beneath us”. He added, “We have complained for years that these buildings were getting weaker but nothing changed.”
Morocco has recorded a troubling pattern of structural failures in recent years. In February last year, five people died when a house collapsed in the old city of Fes. Nearly a decade earlier, in 2016, two deadly collapses within one week claimed six lives in Marrakesh and injured more than two dozen others.
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In 2023, authorities identified more than 12,000 buildings in Marrakesh and surrounding regions as vulnerable, according to local media. Officials and engineers have also suggested that many structures may have weakened after the powerful earthquakes that struck the country that same year.
The latest disaster has renewed public anger over deteriorating living conditions. In September, protests broke out in several regions demanding better housing, improved public services and urgent government action.
As rescuers continued to sift through the debris late into Wednesday night, a civil protection officer told local reporters, “We are doing everything we can, but the age and condition of some buildings across Moroccan cities remain a real concern.”
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The government has not yet announced whether investigations will lead to new safety measures, but pressure is mounting for a nationwide review of older residential blocks.
Authorities say emergency teams will remain at the site until all missing persons are accounted for.
