At least 19 people lost their lives and 16 were injured on Wednesday morning, December 10, following the collapse of two buildings in the city of Fez, one of the oldest cities in Morocco, according to the state news agency, which noted that the buildings had shown signs of abandonment long before.
Local authorities in the Fez prefecture reported that two adjacent four-story buildings collapsed during the night, the news agency reported. The buildings housed eight families and were located in the Al Mustaqbal neighborhood, according to the same source.
When informed of the accident, local authorities, security services and civil protection units went to the scene of the accident and immediately began search and rescue operations, the source added.
Fez, which was once the capital of Morocco in the distant past and is the country’s third most populous city, experienced a wave of anti-government demonstrations two months ago due to deteriorating living conditions and poor public services.
Morocco: “The two collapsed buildings had shown signs of cracks for a long time”
The state news website SNRT wrote that “from the scene of the accident it appears that the two buildings that collapsed had shown signs of cracks for a long time, without effective preventive measures being taken”.
Reuters was not able to independently verify the report on building damage available to the news agency and the Interior Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The largest percentage of Morocco’s population, economic and industrial activity hubs and vital infrastructure are located in the northwestern part of the country and depend on agriculture, fishing and tourism.
In October, youth-driven protest demonstrations brought to light deep-rooted anger over poverty and public services as the government pushes ambitious infrastructure projects and the inauguration of modern stadiums ahead of hosting the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
The demonstrations in major cities – influenced by similar uprisings in Nepal, Madagascar and Peru – evolved into riots in rural and remote towns. Three people were killed by bullets in their attempt to storm a public building and over 400 were arrested before tensions de-escalated.
At least 19 people were killed, and 16 were injured overnight in the collapse of two residential buildings in Morocco’s northeastern city of Fez, according to local authorities. pic.twitter.com/EfMJzBkTcW
— Ariel Oseran أريئل أوسيران (@ariel_oseran) December 10, 2025
