Beirut [Lebanon], February 10: At least 14 people were killed in an apartment building collapse in northern Lebanon, the civil defence authority said on Monday.
The director general of the Civil Defence, General Imad Khreish, confirmed that the search and rescue operations have ended. He confirmed the death toll and noted that eight people had been rescued.
"On Sunday, a residential building composed of two sections, each consisting of six floors, collapsed in the Bab al-Tabbaneh area of the city of Tripoli," the agency said.
Tripoli, with a poverty rate of more than 70%, is widely considered the most impoverished city in Lebanon, according to the UN. It is located on the Mediterranean coast.
Many buildings have not undergone any maintenance for years. The neighbourhood where the building collapsed was also the site of heavy clashes between Sunni Muslim militants and the neighbouring Alawite area of Jabal Mohsen during the early years of the Syrian uprising, when many in Tripoli supported the Syrian opposition.
Following Sunday's incident, groups of angry young men roamed the streets on motorbikes, with some moving toward the offices of several politicians and damaging metal barricades there, the state-run National News Agency reported.
In January, Bassam Nablusi, head of the Higher Relief Authority, citing figures from the Tripoli municipality, said that 105 buildings required the immediate issuance of evacuation warnings to residents.
According to the Lebanese Property Association (LPA), there are at least 16,000 buildings in Lebanon at risk of collapsing, most of them in the capital, Beirut, and Tripoli.
In Beirut, the massive explosion at the port in 2020 further increased the risk for some buildings due to severe shockwaves.
Lebanon has been mired in one of the worst economic and financial crises in its history for years. The local currency has lost at least 98% of its value since 2019.
Because building material prices have risen dramatically, many contractors, owners, and tenants cannot afford repairs, and urgently needed renovations are being delayed.
Source: Qatar Tribune
