On Wednesday, December 10th, two buildings collapsed in the ancient city of Fez, Morocco, resulting in at least 22 deaths and 16 injuries.
According to reports from Reuters, the prosecutor mentioned that one of the collapsed buildings was uninhabited, while the other was hosting an Aqiqah ceremony, a traditional Muslim celebration of the birth of a newborn.
The prosecutor stated that the death toll mentioned is preliminary, and investigations have been initiated. It was reported that at the time of the incident, eight households were residing in the building where the celebration was taking place.
A news footage from the state-owned television station SNRT showed rescue workers and residents digging through the rubble.
“My son who lives upstairs told me the building was about to collapse. When we went out, we saw the building collapse,” said an elderly woman wrapped in a blanket to SNRT news.
Reports also mentioned that the collapsed buildings were located in the densely populated Al-Mustaqbal community in western Fez. Eyewitnesses on the scene claimed that these buildings had shown signs of cracks before.
According to official media reports, residents of nearby buildings have been evacuated as a precautionary measure.
The local government, in a statement, mentioned that apart from the judicial investigation, technical and administrative investigations have also been launched to determine the causes of the collapse of these two four-story buildings.
These buildings were constructed in 2006 as part of a government construction project.
Housing Secretary Adib Ben Ibrahim stated in January that around 38,800 buildings nationwide were identified as at risk of collapse.
The incident on Wednesday marks the most serious building collapse accident in Morocco in the past 15 years. In 2010, a minaret collapsed in the historic city of Meknes in northern Morocco, resulting in 41 fatalities.
Fez is located in northeastern Morocco and is one of the oldest cities in the country, with some buildings dating back to the 8th century AD. It is also the third most populous city in Morocco.