A residential building between four and six stories tall collapsed overnight on May 21 in the Jnan Jroudi neighborhood of the Ain Naqbi district in Fez, Morocco [1, 2, 3, 4]. Rescue workers launched immediate search efforts for survivors buried under the rubble and evacuated adjacent buildings to prevent further collapses [1, 5, 6, 7, 2, 3, 8, 9, 4].
Initial death toll reports varied from 4 to 11 but were later updated to 15 deceased by May 23, with five people confirmed injured in total [5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 1, 2, 3]. Authorities continue to investigate the cause of the collapse [1, 5, 6, 7, 2, 3, 8, 9, 4].
Fez, Morocco's third-largest city located about 200 kilometers east of the capital Rabat and founded in the 8th century, has suffered multiple building collapses in recent months. In December 2025, two buildings collapsed in the city, killing at least 22 people [1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 4].
The housing secretary of state, Adib Ben Ibrahim, noted in 2025 that approximately 38,800 to 40,000 buildings nationwide are classified at risk of collapse, underscoring the ongoing safety concerns [1, 5, 8, 10, 4].
The final casualty update on May 23 marked the completion of search and rescue operations for this latest collapse [3].
