Five people died when a house in the old medina of Fes collapsed on them during heavy rain on Sunday, several local media reported.
The three-story, ancient building, situated in the UNESCO World Heritage-listed old city, partially collapsed on the victims who, reportedly, are three men and two women.
Public authorities and private parties have been working together to rehabilitate Fes’s ancient structures in a number of urban renewal projects to both preserve them and address growing tourist activity.
The tragedy raises concerns about the slow progress of programs to relocate families from deteriorating housing in the Medina, a factor that has been overlooked in previous urban renewal efforts.
Despite previous collapses of dilapidated buildings, the Fes Medina, one of the oldest and largest in the world spanning 280 hectares, is known for being one of the best-preserved cultural heritage sites in the Arab-Muslim world.