At Least 9 Killed in Building Collapse in Lebanon
BEIRUT: At least nine people died and six were rescued from the rubble of a high-rise apartment building that collapsed in the northern Lebanon city of Tripoli on Sunday, state media reported.
Rescuers continue to dig through the rubble to search for eight more people believed to be missing, the state-run National News Agency reported. Among the bodies recovered were a child and a woman.
Dozens of people gathered around the crater left by the collapsed building, some firing into the air.
The building was in the Bab Tabbaneh neighborhood, one of the poorest areas of Lebanon’s second-largest city, where residents have long complained of government neglect and poor quality infrastructure. Building collapses are not uncommon in Tripoli due to poor building standards.
The Lebanese Ministry of Health announced that the expenses of those injured in the collapse will be covered by the state.
The national union for property owners said in a statement that the collapse was the result of “blatant negligence and shortcomings of the Lebanese state towards the safety of citizens and the security of housing” and said it was “not an isolated incident”.
The union called on the government to launch a comprehensive national investigation into buildings at risk of collapse.
Government officials have pledged to help provide shelter to survivors and residents of surrounding buildings who were evacuated out of fear they were structurally unsound.
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said in a statement that the government will also work to strengthen all buildings considered to be at risk of collapse. He said it is the responsibility of local officials to determine where those buildings are located.
The government said, “We will not shirk our responsibilities and will continue to fully fulfill our duties, including holding accountable anyone who may be negligent in this matter.”
