At least 14 killed in building collapse in Lebanon’s Tripoli

The death toll from the collapse of residential buildings in the Lebanese city of Tripoli rose to 14 after search and rescue operations ended, Lebanon’s National News Agency said on Monday, citing the civil defense chief.

Civil defense director general Imad Khreiss said rescue teams recovered 14 bodies and rescued eight people from the rubble of the collapsed buildings in the northern city’s Bab al-Tabbaneh neighborhood.

The building consisted of two blocks, each containing six apartments, he added. Residents estimated some 22 people were inside at the time of the collapse, he said.

Abdel Hamid Karameh, head of Tripoli’s municipal council, said he could not confirm how many people remained missing.

A number of aging residential buildings have collapsed in Tripoli, Lebanon’s second-largest city, in recent weeks, highlighting deteriorating infrastructure and years of neglect, state media reported, citing municipal officials.

Local activist Jumana al-Shahal told AFP at the site that the incident was “a testament to the accumulated neglect of this forgotten city.”

Mayor Abdel Hamid Karimeh told journalists, “We declare Tripoli a disaster-stricken city” due to unsafe buildings.

“Thousands of our people in Tripoli are threatened due to years of neglect,” he said. “The situation is beyond the capabilities of the Tripoli municipality.”

After Sunday’s incident, the NNA reported that angry young men took to the streets on motorbikes, some heading “to the offices of some politicians” and vandalizing metal barriers there.

In January, the head of the higher relief authority, Bassam Nablusi, citing Tripoli municipality statistics, said 105 buildings required “immediate warning notices to their residents to evacuate.”

Local media reported the structure that collapsed on Sunday was not included in a list of buildings at imminent risk.

Lebanon is dotted with derelict buildings, and many inhabited structures are in an advanced state of disrepair.