At least 22 people have died and 16 others were injured after two adjacent four-storey residential buildings collapsed overnight in the historic city of Fez, authorities and multiple news sources report. The tragedy has renewed urgent calls from neighbours and rights groups for comprehensive safety inspections of ageing structures in urban areas across the country. 

 

The collapse occurred late on Tuesday night into the early hours of Wednesday, with the Fez prosecutor’s office confirming that at least 22 people lost their lives when the buildings, which stood side by side in the Al-Mustaqbal neighbourhood, suddenly gave way. Sixteen others were wounded and taken to the hospital for treatment. 

 

One of the buildings was occupied and reportedly hosting an aqiqah, a traditional Muslim ceremony marking the birth of a child, at the time of the collapse, local authorities said, while the other structure was unoccupied. Both buildings housed several families, with eight households living in the occupied block, the prosecutor’s statement showed. 

 

Emergency responders, security forces and civil protection teams moved quickly to the scene after the buildings fell, using heavy machinery, pneumatic drills and pickaxes to search for survivors under the rubble. Teams also evacuated residents from nearby homes as a precaution while ongoing rescue efforts continued. 

 

Neighbours at the scene described a chaotic night as emergency crews combed debris searching for anyone still trapped. Some residents told local media that the buildings had shown visible cracks for some time, raising fears that structural weaknesses had gone unaddressed. State-owned broadcaster SNRT quoted witnesses saying the signs of deterioration had worried people in the area before the collapse. 

 

The National Council for Human Rights (CNDH) in Morocco has since issued a statement urging authorities to accelerate building inspections and to develop stronger mechanisms to identify and repair or demolish structures at risk before disasters occur. The council described safe housing as a fundamental human right and called for better enforcement of building regulations and a comprehensive national strategy to protect residents. 

 

The collapsed buildings were reportedly constructed in 2006 under a government programme aimed at improving housing conditions in former shantytown areas, but observers and families say additional floors may have been added without proper approvals, potentially contributing to structural instability. Local sources told Hespress that permits originally allowed only two floors, but two more were later built without sanctioned modification, although final technical reports are still underway. 

 

Fez is Morocco’s third most populous city and one of the venues selected to host matches for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2030 FIFA World Cup. Beyond its role as a cultural and sporting hub, parts of the city also contain older, densely populated neighbourhoods where building safety has long been a concern. 

 

This collapse is one of the deadliest in recent times in Morocco. Earlier in 2025, a building in Fez collapsed in May, killing 10 people and injuring seven, despite prior warnings for evacuation, according to local media. 

 

Authorities have launched judicial and technical investigations to determine the exact cause of the collapse and whether regulatory violations or construction weaknesses played a part. Officials have pledged to release findings once the inquiries are complete, while local residents and civil society groups continue to press for systematic inspections and enforcement of safety standards to prevent similar tragedies.