Morocco's state media reports that the death toll in Fez, Morocco, exceeds 22 people, along with several injured, after two four-story buildings collapsed on Wednesday, December 10, 2025, including children.
According to state media,the buildings were inhabited by eight families and were in the Al-Mustaqbal neighborhood, reports Al Jazeera.
Soon after the collapse was reported, police and civil protection services rushed to the site, social media footage showed. The injured were transported to the university hospital centre in Fes.
The catastrophic collapse happened when one of the buildings was hosting an event for a child's birthday celebration.
One of the survivors who lost his wife and three children in the overnight collapse, told a local TV station that rescuers had only been able to retrieve one body till now, and the search operation continues.
Another survivor, interviewed by Morocco’s national broadcaster, said, “My son who lives upstairs told me the building is coming down.”
“When we went out, we saw the building collapsing,” he added.
Witnesses said the buildings had shown signs of cracking for some time when interviewed at the scene by SRNT News.
Announcing an investigation, the Fez prosecutor said 16 people had also been injured, citing preliminary figures.
Additionally, according to Adib Ben Ibrahim, housing secretary of state,some 38,800 buildings across the country are classified as being at risk of collapse.
The latest collapse is one of the worst in Morocco since a minaret fell in the historic northern city of Meknes, killing 41 people in 2010.
Fez, a former Moroccan capital, is the country's third most populous city, as well as one of its oldest, dating back to the eighth century.
Authorities assume that many structures could have weakened following massive earthquakes.
