Tragedy was narrowly avoided after a building collapsed last Thursday, May 23, 2024 in Casablanca, in which there were no deaths or injuries.
The accident, which happened a day after another building collapse, this time in Tangier, in which one person died, caused heated controversy on social networks. Some even call local authorities to account and consider it their duty to avoid these accidents.
Al Ahdath Al Maghribia this Monday, May 27, 2024, which explains that the Casablanca building that collapsed was located in a residential area, at the corner of boulevards Moulay Youssef and Al Hank, in the district of Burgundy, reports that this accident happened very close to the premises of the district of Anfa, to which this district belongs to.
According to the diary, the cause of this collapse is damage to the structure by the unilateral decision of the tenant of this building who was carrying out work without authorization, and the beam, one of the load-bearing elements of the entire building, was damaged.
Fortunately, just a few hours before the complete collapse, the local authorities were able to react quickly and evacuate it.
Al Ahdath Al Maghribia states that the prosecutor’s office immediately ordered the opening of an investigation, during which three former football players were first questioned.
According to the diary, these people recently rented premises on the ground floor of the building, and in the basement there were auxiliary buildings that they intended to convert into a restaurant.
Al Ahdath Al Maghribia indicates that the lease agreement was actually signed in the name of a fourth person, who resides in Marrakesh, and who was the investor of this renovation project.
The interlocutors of the daily explain that in addition to these first three persons who have already been questioned, the National Judicial Police Brigade (BNPJ) should also talk to others, including residents of the neighborhood, but also, above all, civil servants who work in neighboring local administrations.
The goal of the BNPJ is, of course, to determine whether the works carried out in the ground and basement of this building are legal and whether they were carried out according to the authorizations of the competent services in accordance with the provisions of the current legislation.
Al Ahdath Al Maghribia reminds in this sense that the president of the Sidi Belyout district, which is located not far from there, has already stated to a media outlet that no authorization has been issued for work in these areas by the competent services.
The diary emphasizes that this collapse has alerted Mohamed Mhidi, the Wali of the Casablanca-Settat region, who is personally following this affair and who, from the early morning hours of Friday, May 24, 2024, the day after this accident, supervised the work carried out by the various services of the Ministry of the Interior jobs, involved in the processes of issuing authorizations and supervision of construction sites in Casablanca.
Mohamed Mhidia therefore wants to ensure that all necessary measures will be taken to avoid any human loss in the future following a building collapse similar to the one that just happened.
One of the strict instructions Wali gave to the officials involved in this regard was to first ensure that the collapse of this building would not affect other buildings in the vicinity, even if it meant that the structures of the buildings that might be at risk were reinforced.
Al Ahdath Al Maghribia states that in the same settlement, as a precautionary measure, a total of seven other buildings had to evacuate their places of residence or work in the meantime, in order to avoid any injuries or accidental death, after the collapse of four a few days ago.
Per Fayza Senhaji
May 26, 2024 at 6:50 p.m.