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Rabat – One person has died following the collapse of a house in the Sebata district, southern Casablanca. The incident occurred in the early morning hours of Thursday, August 6.
According to witnesses, cited by local reports, all residents of the house were able to leave before its collapse, except for one man who was asleep.
The incident, documented in videos and widely shared on social media, shows the three-story building collapsing while neighbors scream in shock.
Other videos show civil protection services pulling the victim from under the debris.
A witness told the press that neighbors were alarmed after a woman living on the ground floor left the house screaming. The woman saw the roof cracking and debris starting to fall.
After the woman screamed for help, neighbors went inside the building, attempting to notify the remaining residents.
One of the residents living on the upper floors said he did not feel anything until the neighbors told him to leave the house before it collapses.
Alarmed by the noise and screams, all the residents were able to leave, except for a man who was asleep.
One of the neighbors said everyone attempted to notify the victim by throwing small stones at his windows. However, all attempts were in vain.
One of the residents said local authorities had already warned them that the house could collapse. However, their financial situation prevented them from leaving.
“We did not leave because we have no money to rent elsewhere. We asked the landlord to help us financially while the building gets fixed, but he shut his phone and we were not able to reach him,” the resident told the press.
Official comment
A civil servant from the nearby administrative prefecture affirmed that authorities warned the residents prior to the incident.
“The house was on the list of unsafe buildings and, on [Monday] August 3, we issued a decision to vacate the house,” he said.
According to him, local authorities set up barriers near the house and met with all of the house’s residents, including a grocer on the ground floor.
“We urged them to vacate the house and they promised to leave before the end of the week,” the civil servant said.
In a statement to the press, one of the neighbors who witnessed the incident called on authorities to find a solution.
“There is another house near here that might collapse. We are asking authorities to destroy it and rebuild it,” he said.
“We need a solution. We cannot keep living in fear,” he continued.
