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BUILDING COLLAPSE

Real estate authority head claims thousands of buildings threatened with collapse

Real estate authority head claims thousands of buildings threatened with collapse

A crowd gathers at the site of a building collapse in Tripoli. (Credit: Photo sent to our correspondent Michel Hallak)

BEIRUT — President of the Lebanese Real Estate Authority, Indira al-Zuhairi, asserted after the collapse of a building in the Qibbeh neighborhood of Tripoli, which killed one child and injured several other people, that this building is "one of the 4,000 buildings threatened with collapse” in Tripoli.

Here’s what we know:

   • Zuhairi stated that “the Lebanese Real Estate Authority did not stop calling on the concerned authorities to conduct a survey of the buildings in the governorates which are threatened with collapse since the Aug. 4 [2020] explosion. The number of buildings exceeds 15,000 buildings, not counting Beirut.”

   • Zuhairi also said that “many building are are on the verge of collapse either because they were built a long time ago and haven’t been maintained since then, because of the absence of their owners, or because of the absence of serious governmental oversight that has allowed the usage of corrupted material during construction.”

   • She also said that due to the economic crisis there is an “increased risk of building collapse because of the cost of building materials, and the low salaries that people are receiving are not enough to carry out the restoration, strengthening and maintenance process that is needed.”

   • She warned citizens that “when there is any partial or complete collapse or demolition, you must stay at a safe distance and avoid gathering around the building.”

   • Tripoli Mayor Riad Yamak denied "any responsibility" for Sunday's collapse of the three-story building. The elected municipal official accused the heritage department at the Ministry of Culture of “refusing any request for the renovation of dilapidated buildings, even when the necessary amount was available,” the state-run National News Agency reported.

   • “We have renovated a lot of homes at our expense and thanks to people of good will," he continued, asserting that the local administration that he heads remains active in removing the rubble and measuring the extent of the damage.

   • Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati, who is from Tripoli, asked the health minister to order the hospitals in the area to receive the wounded, and asked the Higher Relief Committee to compensate the citizens who were affected by the collapse.

BEIRUT — President of the Lebanese Real Estate Authority, Indira al-Zuhairi, asserted after the collapse of a building in the Qibbeh neighborhood of Tripoli, which killed one child and injured several other people, that this building is "one of the 4,000 buildings threatened with collapse” in Tripoli.Here’s what we know:   • Zuhairi stated that “the Lebanese Real Estate...