At least 19 killed in collapse of buildings in Morocco

At least 19 people are dead and ?16 are injured after two buildings collapsed in Fez, one of Morocco's oldest cities, ?state news media reports, saying the blocks had shown signs of neglect for some time.

Local authorities in the Fez prefecture on Wednesday reported two adjacent four-storey buildings had collapsed.

The buildings were inhabited by eight families and were in the Al-Mustaqbal neighbourhood, the state news agency said.

As soon as ?they were ?informed of the incident, local authorities, security services and civil protection units moved to the ?scene and immediately began search and rescue operations, it said.

Fez, a former capital dating to the eighth century and the country's third-most populous city, was caught up in a wave of protests two months ago against the government over deteriorating living conditions and poor public services.

The state news website SNRT said "the scene indicates ?that the two collapsed buildings had been showing signs of cracking for some time, without any effective preventive measures being taken".

Reuters ?was unable to independently verify the news agency's damage report and the interior ministry did ?not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Most of Morocco's population, financial, industrial hubs and vital infrastructure are concentrated in the northwest, with the rest of the country reliant ?on ?farming, fisheries and tourism.

In October, youth-led unrest revealed ?deep-seated anger over poverty and public services as ?the government pushes on with ambitious infrastructure projects and the opening of modern stadiums before the 2030 World Cup.

The protests in major cities - inspired by similar revolts in Nepal, Madagascar and Peru - devolved into riots in rural towns and remote cities. Three people were shot dead as they tried to storm a security headquarters, and more than 400 were arrested, before the violence eased.