Dubai: At least nine people were killed and six others injured after a six-storey residential building collapsed in a densely populated neighbourhood of the Moroccan city of Fez, local media reported.The building collapsed in the early hours of Thursday in the Ain Al Naqbi district, triggering emergency rescue operations as civil defence teams searched through the rubble for survivors. Authorities said the death toll could rise further as search and recovery operations continued.Authorities said the injured were transferred to Hassan II University Hospital in Fez for treatment, with some reported to be in critical condition.Local officials evacuated nearby residential buildings as a precaution amid fears of further structural collapses in the area.Moroccan media reported that rescue teams, backed by local authorities and security forces, continued debris-clearing operations hours after the incident, while ambulances and heavy machinery remained deployed at the site.Authorities have opened an investigation into the cause of the collapse, although no immediate explanation was given.The incident has renewed concerns over building safety in older and densely populated districts of Fez, where ageing structures and unauthorised construction have long raised safety concerns among residents and urban planning experts.With over 30 years of journalistic experience spanning from Jordan to the UAE, Khitam has spent the past 22 years reporting on national and regional news from Dubai, with a strong focus on the UAE, GCC and broader Arab affairs.