المملكة: 22 killed in the collapse of two buildings in the city of Fez in northern Morocco
On Tuesday night, 22 people were killed when two adjacent buildings collapsed in The city of Fez in the north of Morocco, at The worst accident of its kind that the Kingdom has witnessed in recent years.
The local authorities in Fez said that the two buildings, each consisting of four floors, were inhabited by eight families.
They added that 22 people were killed and 16 others were injured, and the neighboring houses were evacuated as a precaution.
Civil protection was deployed in the place to search among the rubble for survivors, according to what pictures showed by Agence France-Presse.
Operations Rescue
A crowd of civilians gathered at the site at night, as rescuers carried a body wrapped in a gray bag.
Other workers, using pneumatic hammers and axes, tried to dig through the rubble, sometimes with the help of mechanical excavators.
The Fez Public Prosecution Office said in a statement that there was a family celebration in one building at the time of the collapse while the other building was empty.
Rehousing Program
Mohamed, one of Locals, for location "Lou 360" Al-Maghrabi said that residents obtained land after leaving one of the slums as part of a rehousing program that was launched in 2007.
He added "After 2007, everyone built as they pleased"indicating that some may not have respected building standards.
While a magazine reported "Tel Kill" that "These constructions were not subject to any oversight, which led to some beneficiaries ignoring the approved development plan".
A large toll
The local authorities said "Search operations are continuing to rescue and rescue other people who may be trapped under the rubble"according to what was reported by the official Maghreb Arab News Agency.
She added that the death toll may rise in the coming hours.
The injured were transferred to the University Hospital Center in Fez, according to the same source, and this is the highest number of victims of an accident of this kind in Morocco in recent years.
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