Two four-storey buildings collapsed in the Moroccan city of Fes, killing at least 22 people, according to a provisional toll reported by the country's official news agency on Wednesday.

"Sixteen other people were wounded, with varying degrees of gravity," the MAP agency reported, adding that search operations were still ongoing to"save other people who may be buried under the rubble".

The two adjacent structures, which housed eight families, collapsed overnight in the major northern city's Al-Moustakbal neighbourhood, in the Al-Massira area, according to MAP.

Local authorities have indicated that the toll could rise in the coming hours.

MAP said that safety officials had conducted"necessary preventative measures", including securing the surrounding area and evacuating neighbouring buildings.

The agency reported that the injured were taken to Fes's University Hospital Centre.

In February of last year, five people died in the collapse of a house in Fes's old city.

And nearly a decade ago, in 2016, there were two deadly building collapses within the span of a week.

One was a home in the western city of Marrakech that killed two children, while the other was a four-storey building that killed four people and injured two dozen more.

In September, deteriorating living conditions in Morocco sparked protests over poverty and public services.