A building collapse in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli killed 14 people, the civil defense head confirmed Monday, after search and rescue operations stopped the day before.
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam announced that authorities have chosen to take action, including evacuating 114 structures in the impoverished city that have been neglected for years.
The affected structure was made up of two blocks, each with six apartments, in the Bab al-Tabbaneh neighborhood, one of the city’s poorest districts. There were 22 persons inside at the time of the fall.
Civil defense head Imad Khreish told reporters in front of the building that “the search and rescue operations have ended for the time being,” saying that eight residents were recovered alive but “14 victims died unfortunately.”
Security workers had evacuated nearby buildings, fearing further collapses.
Mayor Abdel Hamid Karimeh proclaimed Tripoli a “disaster-stricken city” on Sunday, citing dangerous buildings that endanger the lives of “thousands of our people.”
This new accident occurred after another building collapsed in Tripoli late last month, killing two people.
Derelict buildings abound in Lebanon, and many occupied houses are in poor condition.
Many structures were constructed illegally, particularly during the 1975-1990 civil war, and some owners added new floors to existing apartment complexes without permission.
Several buildings have collapsed in Tripoli and other parts of the country in recent years, with officials failing to take adequate structural safety precautions.
Premier Salam announced following an expanded emergency cabinet meeting on Monday that the Tripoli municipality “has issued a decision to evacuate 114 buildings at risk of collapse” in phases over the next month.
He stated that evacuated households would receive a one-year housing allowance, while the High Relief Committee will begin fortifying buildings that can be rebuilt and demolishing those that are at risk of collapse.
He also stated that the committee will conclude a building survey that the town had initiated.
Amnesty International reported in 2024 that thousands of people were still living in dangerous houses in Tripoli more than a year after a massive earthquake struck Turkey and neighboring Syria, weakening the structures.
Tripoli locals “had raised the alarm about their dire housing situation, caused by decades of neglect and contractors’ lack of compliance with safety regulations” even before the February 2023 quake, according to the report.
