Lebanon’s Tripoli tragedy: Building collapse claims 14 lives, sparks outcry

As the dust settles, leaders call for urgent action to prevent further tragedies and protect citizens from dilapidated structures.

Annahar

Lebanon’s Tripoli tragedy: Building collapse claims 14 lives, sparks outcry

Rescue operations continue in Tripoli (Houssam Shbaro).

The search and rescue operations at the collapsed building in Tripoli, northern Lebanon, have ended, marking a new chapter in the city’s history of crumbling and collapsing buildings that threaten entire communities.

After intensive efforts through the night and into the morning, civil defense teams and the Lebanese Red Cross successfully recovered 14 bodies from the building’s rubble and rescued 8 survivors.

The Director-General of the Civil Defense, Brigadier General Imad Khreish, reported that the building housed 22 people at the time of its collapse and announced this morning the "end of search and rescue operations."

Several victims from the Tripoli disaster.

A statement from the Media and Public Relations Department of the General Directorate of Civil Defense said: "As part of the search and rescue operations that continued from 4:30 PM yesterday until [the present time] at the site of the residential building collapse in the Bab al-Tabbaneh area – Tripoli, the Civil Defense teams were able, during the early hours of today, to rescue a male and a female citizen from under the rubble. This followed careful rubble removal and a precise technical survey using specialized machinery, equipment, and devices. Both were provided with on-site medical care and transported to the hospital to receive the necessary treatment.

The field operations resulted in the rescue of eight citizens alive, in addition to the recovery of the bodies of fourteen victims from under the rubble, following the retrieval of the body of the female citizen who had previously been listed as missing."

The Directorate announced the "end of search and rescue operations at the site, after completing all necessary fieldwork in accordance with the highest professional safety standards."

In a message celebrating the Feast of Saint Maron, President Joseph Aoun expressed his hope that "this feast will be celebrated with the healing of the south’s bleeding wound, the restoration of stability, and the return of southerners to their villages and towns. May the tragedies and suffering of the Lebanese, most recently the repeated tragedies in dear Tripoli caused by the collapse of dilapidated buildings, come to an end.

Agencies should have taken proper precautions to prevent these collapses and the loss of innocent lives, including those of cherished children. I stand in solidarity with their families in their painful loss and pray today for the repose of their souls."

For his part, the Grand Mufti of Lebanon, Sheikh Abdel Latif Derian, called on state institutions to "take responsibility toward their citizens and address the buildings at risk of collapse in the city of Tripoli."

In a statement, he said: "The repeated collapse of buildings in Tripoli occurs amid a lack of oversight, accountability, and persistent negligence. This calls for swift action by the concerned authorities to put an end to this tragic and horrifying phenomenon that claims the lives of our innocent children. The state must take the necessary measures to address this issue immediately."

Derian added: "We are sounding the alarm on the issue of buildings at risk of collapse. The state should take urgent action, launch an effective initiative on this matter, provide housing for citizens living in endangered buildings, and conduct a comprehensive survey of such structures in Tripoli before further collapses occur."

He expressed his solidarity with the affected families in Tripoli, offered condolences to the families of the victims of the collapsed residential building, and wished a speedy recovery to the injured.