The public prosecutor's office in the city of Fez has instructed the judicial police to open an investigation to determine the circumstances and causes of the collapse of two adjacent buildings on Tuesday/Wednesday night, which resulted in the death of 22 people, so far.

Sources from the Hespress newspaper reported that the Public Prosecutor's Office in the city of Fez has taken up the tragedy that shook the scientific capital, giving instructions to investigate the licenses and urban plans.

According to instructions from the Public Prosecutor's Office in Fez, it is expected that the hearings will begin with the officials in charge of the urban planning department in the municipality, along with the various stakeholders and authorities related to urban planning.

In the same context, this tragedy prompted Khalid Ait Taleb, the governor of the Fez-Meknes region, to hold an extensive and urgent meeting this morning in the presence of the director of urban planning, the Urban Agency, Housing and Urban Development, representatives of local authorities and a number of stakeholders.

According to initial data, the aforementioned meeting emphasized the need to investigate the granted licenses, determine responsibilities in granting licenses and monitoring works, and work to compile a list of buildings to avoid further damage and collapses in homes.

Local authorities in the Fes province reported on Wednesday morning that, in an initial count, 19 people were killed and 16 others sustained injuries of varying severity in the collapse of two adjacent (4-story) buildings inhabited by 8 families.

The same source, in official information obtained by Hespress, added that local authorities, security forces, and civil protection services rushed to the scene immediately upon being notified of the incident to begin search and rescue operations. These services took all necessary measures, including securing the perimeter of the two collapsed buildings and evacuating residents of neighboring houses as a precautionary measure to ensure their safety in case of any other potential dangers.

The injured people were transferred to the University Hospital Center in Fez to undergo the necessary examinations and receive the necessary treatments; while search and rescue operations are continuing, up to this hour, to save and rescue other people who may be trapped under the rubble.