At least 22 people have been killed and 16 injured after two adjacent four-story buildings collapsed in the Moroccan city of Fez.

Local authorities said rescue operations were still ongoing and efforts were underway to rescue other people who were buried.

The building was in the Al-Massira area of ​​Fez, where eight families lived. Initial footage showed rescue workers carrying bodies into vehicles.

Local authorities warned that the death toll could rise in the coming hours.

Security forces are taking necessary steps to secure the surrounding area. The injured have been admitted to the University Hospital Center in Fez for treatment.

The accident is considered the deadliest of its kind in recent years. Five people died when a house collapsed in the old city of Fez in February last year. Nearly a decade ago, in 2016, two buildings collapsed within a week. In the western city of Marrakech, a house collapsed, killing two children, while another four-story building collapsed, killing four people and injuring more than two dozen.