At least 19 killed in collapse of two buildings in Morocco, state news agency says

2 hours agoWed 10 Dec 2025 at 8:45am

The view of the Medina in Fes, Morocco. (Getty Images: Giovanni Mereghetti)

In short:

At least 19 people have been killed and 16 injured by the collapse of two buildings in Fez city in Morocco.

The adjacent four-storey buildings that collapsed were inhabited by eight families, the country’s state media reports.

What’s next?

Search and rescue operations are continuing to search for others who may still be trapped under the rubble.

At least 19 people have been killed and 16 injured by the collapse of two buildings in the Moroccan city of Fez early on Wednesday, the country’s state news agency has confirmed.

Local authorities in the Fez prefecture reported two adjacent four-storey buildings had collapsed overnight, the agency said.

The buildings were inhabited by eight families and were in the Al-Mustaqbal neighbourhood, it reported.

As soon as they were informed of the incident, local authorities, security services, and civil protection units moved to the scene and immediately began search and rescue operations, it said.

The injured were transported to the university hospital centre in Fez, while search and rescue operations continued around the clock to find others who may still be trapped under the rubble, the news agency reported.

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

Buildings had shown ‘signs of cracking’

State news website SNRT said "the scene indicates that the two collapsed buildings had been showing signs of cracking for some time without any effective preventive measures being taken".

Reuters was unable to 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 hubs and vital infrastructure are concentrated in the north-west, with the rest of the country reliant on farming, fisheries and tourism.

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

The protests in major cities — inspired by similar revolts in Nepal, Madagascar and Peru — devolved into riots in rural towns and remote cities.

Three people were shot dead as they tried to storm a security headquarters and over 400 were arrested before the violence eased.

Reuters