Fès Tragedy: Heads Will Roll After the Death of 22 People, Illegal Addition of Floors to Blame

The investigations, conducted under the supervision of Wali Khalid Aït Taleb and the Royal Prosecutor, are targeting a specific irregularity: the illegal addition of two extra floors on structures whose building permit dates back to 2006. This presumed laxity in the face of safety rules has transformed a birthday celebration into a tragedy, with one of the buildings housing guests at the time of the incident while the other was unoccupied.

While justice takes its course, the medical staff of the Hassan II University Hospital are caring for the survivors. According to Rachida Zouazou, the hospital’s communication manager, interviewed by Hespress, 17 injured adults and children are still being treated there. While an 11-year-old girl has been able to return home, five other minors remain under medical supervision, as well as eleven adults suffering from various traumas.

This tragedy, which occurred on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday in Bensouda, mobilized the security forces and civil protection to secure the perimeter and evacuate the residents. Beyond the urgency of the rescue efforts, it is now the trial of anarchic housing and administrative complacency that is opening on the ruins of the neighborhood.