Ismail Jay Al-Mansouri, head of the Zouagha district council in Fez, expressed his regret over the deaths of a number of residents of the two buildings that collapsed on Tuesday-Wednesday night, noting that this matter, “although it is God’s will, was a shock.”

The district chief confirmed, in a statement to the Hespress electronic newspaper, that the collapsed houses had been built nearly 20 years ago, after their owners benefited from plots of land as part of the resettlement process in 2006.

The same collective official noted that the aforementioned buildings were constructed in accordance with the legal standards and licenses granted at the time by the competent authorities, adding that the homeowners may have deliberately increased the construction.

The spokesperson denied that the district authorities he heads had received any requests for repairs or other matters from the owners of the aforementioned buildings.

Regarding the situation of the residents of the two buildings who survived this tragedy, the district head stated that the interests of the Fes-Meknes region are overseeing the matter and monitoring their situation based on the instructions of the regional governor.

Ismail Jay Al-Mansouri reported that some of these people were housed in hotels, and neighbors of the collapsed houses were notified to evacuate, for fear of further collapses.

The King's representative at the Court of First Instance in the city of Fez announced the opening of an investigation to determine the circumstances and causes of the collapse of the two adjacent buildings, which resulted in the death of 22 people.

A statement issued by the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Fez, a copy of which was obtained by Hespress, revealed that the King’s Prosecutor at the Court of First Instance gave instructions to open an investigation into the matter by the judicial police under the supervision of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, in order to determine the real reasons for this incident and to uncover its circumstances and details.

The same source reported that one of the two collapsed buildings in the Al-Masira neighborhood of the Bensouda area of Fez was empty of residents, while the second building was hosting a baby naming ceremony. The collapse resulted in the death of 22 people, including children and women, in addition to 16 people being injured with varying degrees of severity.

Local authorities in Fez confirmed that as soon as they were notified of the accident, local and security authorities and civil protection services went to the scene to begin search and rescue operations.

These authorities have taken all necessary measures, including securing the perimeter of the two collapsed buildings, evacuating residents of neighboring houses as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of the population in anticipation of any other potential dangers that may threaten their safety, and transferring the injured people to the University Hospital Center in Fez to undergo the necessary examinations and receive the necessary treatments.