Tragedy struck Morocco’s ancient city of Fez as two 4-storey buildings in a picturesque neighbourhood suddenly collapsed overnight and converting a quiet residential locality into a scene of destruction. Since it happened, the catastrophic event at least claimed the lives of 22 people and left 16 others injured, marking yet another deadly episode in Morocco’s lifelong battle with old urban infrastructure, along with rapid population growth.
Rescue efforts are still underway despite the devastating collapse that occurred overnight
Rescue teams labored tirelessly throughout the night and into the wee hours of Wednesday morning, searching through vast amounts of concrete and debris for any sign of survivors. The two buildings, side by side, housed eight families in the Al-Moustakbal neighborhood, with rescue efforts still in progress to determine if anyone can be located who may be trapped under the rubble. The sixteen injured victims were rushed to the University Hospital Center in Fez.
The eyewitness accounts have described the horror of what happened when the buildings collapsed. “My son, who lives upstairs, told me that the building is coming down. And when we went out, we saw the building collapsing,” said one elderly woman in an interview with local news organization SNRT News. A resident also mentioned that the building collapsed in two minutes.
A broken-hearted father, who was identified as belonging to the local community, was interviewed by a local television station named Medi1, saying that he had lost his wife and children in the collapse and is waiting for the rescue team to come and take the bodies of all his family members. The human toll continues to rise with the progress of the rescue operation.
Infrastructure problems plague Morocco’s rapidly growing cities
The buildings that collapsed were erected in the year 2006 as part of the ambitious project called “City Without Slums,” initiated by Morocco to improve the lives of the people by offering them better housing. However, there had been concerns about the building after cracks had been observed before the collapse. More floors had also been erected in the two buildings, contrary to the law.
The tragedy of building collapse is, unfortunately, not a strange happening in Moroccan cities, which are experiencing growth in terms of population at a relatively fast rate. Such a tragedy had happened in Fez only seven months ago in May, where another building had collapsed, taking the lives of 10 people and injuring seven others. The particular building was set to evacuate due to safety reasons.
Investigation launched as Morocco faces urban safety crisis
An inquiry has been initiated to understand the reason for the collapse, and all necessary steps are being taken to avoid such occurrences in the future by cordoning off the area and evacuating neighboring buildings that could potentially be hazardous. The occurrence of this event has highlighted, once again, the inequality in the infrastructure of Morocco, which has been an issue in protests that took place earlier this year.
The protesters were of the opinion that the government was devoting too much time to constructing stadiums. Fez, Morocco’s third-largest city and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has its own set of problems when it comes to maintaining its medieval architecture and keeping up with modern safety standards. The city is also one of the sites where the Africa Cup of Nations will be held this month and the 2030 FIFA World Cup, although it is one of the poorest cities in Morocco.
It is also clear that this latest tragedy has only served to underscore the need for infrastructure reform and the implementation of building codes within the rapidly expanding cities of Morocco. Indeed, this latest tragedy also stands as a harsh reminder of the cost of development that simply cannot be sustained by such inadequate infrastructure.
