At least 22 people were killed and 16 others injured when two adjacent four-story buildings collapsed in the Moroccan city of Fez on Dec. 10, 2025. The disaster struck the Al-Mustaqbal neighborhood, a densely populated area in Morocco’s third-largest city, leaving families devastated and rescue workers scrambling through rubble in search of survivors.
The buildings housed eight families when they came down after 11 p.m. local time. Witnesses reported hearing loud cracks before the structures gave way. One of the buildings was unoccupied at the time of collapse, but its failure triggered the adjacent building to crumble, according to local prosecutors who opened an investigation to determine the exact cause.
Women and children made up a significant portion of the victims. The second building was hosting a traditional Aqiqah celebration, a ceremonial gathering held to mark the birth of a child. The timing of the collapse during this family event contributed to the high casualty count.
Emergency responders transported the injured to Fez University Hospital, with several in serious condition. One male survivor told local media: “I lost my wife and three children.” Search and rescue operations continued through the night and following days, with authorities warning that the death toll could rise as teams worked to locate anyone still trapped beneath the debris. Heavy machinery including diggers was deployed to assist in the recovery effort.
Local residents and witnesses told state media that the buildings had shown signs of cracking for some time before the collapse. The structures were constructed in 2006 under so-called self-construction schemes as part of the “Fez, City Without Slums” program, which aimed to provide housing for residents relocated from the Ain Smen area.
The disaster has renewed attention to Morocco’s ongoing struggles with building safety and infrastructure decay. In January 2025, housing secretary Adib Ben Ibrahim announced that approximately 38,800 buildings across Morocco have been classified as at risk of collapse. In the Marrakesh area alone, more than 12,000 buildings were identified as vulnerable.
This latest incident is far from isolated in Fez. Five people died in a similar building collapse in the city in February 2024, while six perished during two separate building disasters in 2016. The most devastating structural failure in Morocco’s recent history occurred in 2010, when a minaret collapsed in the historic northern city of Meknes, killing 41 people.
Building codes exist in Morocco, but enforcement remains inconsistent, particularly in ancient cities like Fez, where aging, multi-family homes are common. An older woman at the scene told local television, “My son who lives upstairs told me the building is coming down. When we went out, we saw the building collapsing.”
The collapse comes amid heightened tensions over living conditions. Two to three months before the building failure, the nation was swept by protests over deteriorating living conditions and poor public services. The unrest turned violent when three people were shot dead by police during confrontations at a Royal Gendarmerie station in Lqliâa. More than 400 people were arrested before the violence subsided.
Critics of the Moroccan government have accused officials of prioritizing infrastructure projects like new sports stadiums over addressing fundamental gaps in health care, education, and other public services that affect the country’s most vulnerable populations.
The December collapse marked the third deadly building failure in Fez within a single year. In May 2025, nine to ten people were killed and seven others injured when another residential building collapsed in the city. That structure had been previously identified as at risk, and authorities had issued evacuation orders, but residents either ignored the warnings or had not yet vacated the premises when the building gave way. The May incident underscored the persistent gap between identifying dangerous structures and taking effective action to prevent casualties, a pattern that would repeat itself with devastating consequences seven months later.
The timing of the December disaster is particularly notable as Fez prepares to host matches for this month’s Africa Cup of Nations football tournament. The city is also slated to host games during the 2030 World Cup, part of Morocco’s ambitious plans to showcase itself on the global stage through major sporting events.
While Morocco has experienced tourism growth in recent years, with visitors drawn to cities like Fez for their rich history and cultural heritage, widespread poverty persists within the population. Many Moroccans have criticized their monarch for being disconnected from the struggles facing ordinary citizens.
The judicial police investigation into the Dec. 10 collapse continues under the supervision of the public prosecutor. Preliminary findings have established the construction date of the buildings, but officials have not yet released conclusions about structural deficiencies or whether any violations of building codes occurred. As rescue operations wind down and the investigation proceeds, questions remain about whether authorities will take concrete steps to address the thousands of at-risk structures throughout the country before another deadly collapse occurs.