BEIRUT, Lebanon, Feb. 9 (UPI) — A rescue operation at a two-building residential building in northern Tripoli ended on Monday, the second such incident in two weeks that left 15 people dead and eight injured, prompting the government to order the evacuation of 114 other old and poorly maintained buildings in the city.
The six-story building, which contained 12 apartments and housed 22 people, collapsed on Sunday in Bab al-Tabbaneh, one of the city’s poorest neighbourhoods.
The death toll rose to 15 on Monday after a woman’s body was pulled out from under the rubble of a collapsed building. Civil Protection Director General Imad Khreiss said eight injured people had been rescued and taken to hospital.
Search and rescue teams rushed to the scene worked overnight to clear debris and open openings in collapsed buildings.
The Lebanese army deployed heavily in the city to drive away angry residents who had blocked some roads, and called for those responsible to be held accountable and for immediate action to be taken to resolve the incident.
Some residents living in similar old buildings quickly began evacuating their homes.
A similar building collapse killed two people in Tripoli last month, the fifth such incident this winter.
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said after a cabinet meeting that 114 buildings in Tripoli will be gradually evacuated within a month and temporary shelters will be set up for residents.
The cabinet also decided to strengthen buildings that can be saved and demolish those that are at risk of collapse.
Tripoli Mayor Abdul Hamid Karimeh warned that many of the city’s buildings were built 70 years ago but have not been properly maintained, noting that 105 of them were at risk of collapse and needed to be demolished.
Many of these buildings were constructed illegally, especially during the civil war from 1975 to 1990, when some owners added new floors to existing residential buildings without permission.