Newsroom
At least nine people were killed and several others injured when two adjoining apartment buildings collapsed in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli, triggering frantic rescue efforts and fresh anger over unsafe housing in the impoverished city.
Lebanese civil defense officials said six people were rescued from the rubble and taken to hospital. Residents estimated that around 22 people were inside the buildings, two connected blocks with six apartments each, when they collapsed late Sunday.
Search-and-rescue teams, backed by the Lebanese Red Cross and emergency agencies, worked through the night as local residents joined in, clearing debris and trying to reach survivors.
Tripoli’s mayor declared the city a disaster zone, warning that thousands of residents are living in buildings at risk of collapse after years of neglect. Nearby buildings were evacuated over fears they could also give way.
President Joseph Aoun ordered emergency services to remain on high alert and help provide shelter for displaced families, while Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the government is ready to offer housing assistance. He urged politicians to avoid exploiting the tragedy, calling it the result of long-standing neglect.
An investigation has been ordered into the collapse, which comes just weeks after another deadly building failure in Tripoli. Officials have previously warned that more than 100 buildings in the city require immediate evacuation.
Across Lebanon, many residential buildings are in advanced disrepair, often built or expanded without permits during and after the civil war, a problem critics say successive governments have failed to address.
*Source: Al Jazeera
