Death toll rises to 9 – Firstpost

The death toll from a building collapse in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli rose to nine on Sunday, according to a civil defence official, marking the second such incident in the city in recent weeks. The state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported the fall of an old building in the Bab al-Tabbaneh neighbourhood, the poorest area in the already impoverished city. Rescue crews continued to look for survivors as operations stretched into the night.

Security teams evacuated nearby buildings due to concerns that more structures could give way. An AFP correspondent observed rescue workers clearing rubble while ambulances waited at the scene. Civil defence director general Imad Khreish told local media that six survivors had been taken to hospital.

Dozens believed to have been inside

Khreish said the collapsed structure consisted of two blocks, each with six apartments. Residents estimated that around 22 people were inside when the building came down. Local activist Jumana al-Shahal described the collapse as “a testament to the accumulated neglect of this forgotten city”.

Mayor Abdel Hamid Karimeh told reporters that “we declare Tripoli a disaster-stricken city” due to the number of 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.”

This latest disaster follows another deadly building collapse in Tripoli late last month. After Sunday’s incident, the NNA said angry young men took to the streets on motorbikes, with some heading towards the offices of politicians and vandalising metal barriers outside.

Long-standing structural risks

In January, the head of the higher relief authority, Bassam Nablusi, citing municipal figures, said 105 buildings required “immediate warning notices to their residents to evacuate”. Local media reported that Sunday’s collapsed building was not on the list of structures deemed at imminent risk.

Lebanon has many derelict or poorly maintained buildings, including structures erected illegally during the 1975-1990 civil war or modified with additional floors without permits. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the government stood ready to provide housing allowances to residents who must leave unsafe buildings. In a statement, he condemned what he called a “humanitarian catastrophe” resulting from “long years of accumulated neglect”. His office added that he had summoned the justice and interior ministers for an emergency meeting.

Investigation ordered

Justice Minister Adel Nassar asked the public prosecutor in the north to open an immediate investigation into the incident, the NNA said, reporting that procedures had begun.

A recent report by research and design firm Public Works Studio said several buildings fully or partially collapsed in Tripoli in January.

It cited causes including unplanned urban expansion and a lack of proper construction oversight.

In 2024, rights group Amnesty International said “thousands of people” were still living in unsafe buildings in Tripoli more than a year after a major earthquake centred on Turkey and neighbouring Syria had had weakened the structures.

Even before the February 2023 quake, Tripoli residents “had raised the alarm about their dire housing situation, caused by decades of neglect and contractors’ lack of compliance with safety regulations”, it said.

The situation was compounded by Lebanon’s years-long economic crisis meaning residents could not afford repairs or alternative housing, it added, urging authorities to “urgently… assess the safety of buildings across the country”.

(With agency inputs)