At least 19 people were killed, and 16 others injured on Wednesday when two adjoining four-storey residential buildings collapsed in Fez, one of Morocco’s oldest and most densely populated cities, state media reported.

Authorities said the buildings, located in the Al-Mustaqbal neighbourhood and home to eight families, had long shown signs of neglect.

According to the Fez prefecture, local officials, security personnel and civil protection teams rushed to the scene soon after midnight, launching search and rescue operations amid the rubble. The state broadcaster SNRT noted that preliminary assessments indicated the structures had been exhibiting visible cracking and structural deterioration “for some time,” with no effective preventive action taken.

At least 19 people were killed, and 1

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