Lebanon building collapse death toll rises to nine, official says

TRIPOLI, Lebanon — The death toll in a building collapse in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli on Sunday climbed to nine, a civil defence official says — the second such incident in weeks.

The state-run National News Agency (NNA) reports “the collapse of an old building” in Tripoli’s Bab al-Tabbaneh neighborhood, the poorest in the impoverished city. Rescuers are still searching for survivors.

Security personnel evacuated adjacent buildings, fearing further collapses, it adds.

An AFP correspondent saw teams of rescue workers toiling into the night on the rubble of the collapsed structure, as ambulances stood by.

Civil defense director general Imad Khreish tells local media that nine people had been killed, but that six others who were rescued were taken to hospital.

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.

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

Mayor Abdel Hamid Karimeh tells 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 says. “The situation is beyond the capabilities of the Tripoli municipality.”