At least 14 people have been killed and several others injured following the collapse of two adjoining buildings in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli, officials confirmed on . The disaster has prompted a wave of anger and renewed scrutiny of building safety standards in the historically neglected city.
Civil defence teams concluded search-and-rescue operations on , recovering the bodies of 14 victims, an increase from an initial death toll of nine reported on . Eight individuals were pulled alive from the rubble, according to a statement released by the civil defence. The buildings, each comprised of six apartments, succumbed to collapse, triggering a frantic response from residents and emergency services.
Residents of the surrounding neighbourhood actively participated in the rescue efforts, working alongside emergency responders to clear debris and create access points within the collapsed structure. The Lebanese Red Cross and other relief agencies provided support to the civil defence throughout the operation.
Authorities have evacuated residents from adjacent buildings, fearing further collapses. The Internal Security Forces and Tripoli municipal police are overseeing the evacuation process, according to the state-run National News Agency (NNA).
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has directed all emergency services to remain on high alert, providing assistance with rescue operations and shelter for displaced residents. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, in a statement released , affirmed the government’s commitment to providing housing allowances for those forced to evacuate their homes.
However, Salam also cautioned against the exploitation of the tragedy for political gain, emphasizing the need to address the underlying issues of neglect that contributed to the disaster. “Given the magnitude of this humanitarian catastrophe, the result of years of accumulated neglect, and out of respect for the lives of the victims, I urge all those involved in politics, in Tripoli and elsewhere, to refrain from exploiting this horrific disaster for cheap and short-sighted political gains,” he stated.
A City Declared ‘Disaster-Stricken’
The collapse has intensified long-standing concerns about the structural integrity of buildings in Tripoli. Mayor Abdel Hamid Karimeh declared the city “disaster-stricken” due to the prevalence of unsafe structures, warning that “thousands of our people in Tripoli are threatened due to years of neglect.” He acknowledged that the municipality lacks the resources to address the scale of the problem.
Reporting from Tripoli, Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr noted “a lot of anger” among residents, many of whom live in buildings at risk of collapse. She highlighted the lack of viable options for those displaced, stating that even several months of housing allowances “will not solve [their] problem.”
The Minister of Justice, Adel Nassar, has ordered an immediate investigation into the incident, with procedures already underway, according to the NNA.
This latest collapse follows a similar incident in Tripoli late last month, underscoring a pattern of structural failures in the city. In January, the head of the higher relief authority, Bassam Nablusi, citing Tripoli municipality statistics, reported that 105 buildings required “immediate warning notices to their residents to evacuate.”
Lebanon is characterized by a significant number of dilapidated buildings, with many inhabited structures in a state of disrepair. A substantial portion of these buildings were constructed illegally during the 1975-1990 civil war, while others have had additional floors added without proper permits.
Khodr further explained that “successive governments have been accused of neglecting the city” in the aftermath of the civil war, exacerbating the existing crisis. The lack of investment in infrastructure and building maintenance has left Tripoli particularly vulnerable to such disasters.
The incident raises broader questions about building regulations and enforcement across Lebanon, and the urgent need for comprehensive assessments of structural safety in urban areas. The tragedy in Tripoli serves as a stark reminder of the human cost of prolonged neglect and inadequate infrastructure.
