Deadly building collapse in Fez leaves 22 dead as structural failures raise urgent safety concerns

Two adjacent four-storey residential buildings collapsed overnight in the Al Massira district of Fez, killing 22 people and injuring 16 more. The structures housed eight families and failed without warning, prompting a major search-and-rescue operation that continued through Wednesday. Local authorities evacuated surrounding buildings and opened a formal investigation to determine the cause of the collapse.

Preliminary reports indicate that the buildings were constructed in 2006 under the national “City Without Slums” initiative. Although built to code at the time, media outlets noted that additional floors were added later, raising concerns about overstressing the original structural system. Residents also reported visible deterioration in the years leading up to the incident.

The collapse follows a series of similar structural failures in Morocco’s rapidly urbanising cities. Fez experienced another deadly collapse in May that killed ten people in a building previously marked for evacuation. Broader studies have identified thousands of buildings nationwide at imminent risk due to aging construction, informal modifications and inconsistent enforcement of building regulations.

Emergency teams continue to work through the debris as families await news of unaccounted residents. The tragedy has intensified calls for strengthened structural assessment programmes and improved oversight for multi-storey housing in historic and growing urban areas.