Parts of an already cracked building collapsed on Monday in Tripoli. (Courtesy of: Michel Hallak)
BEIRUT — A historic Tripoli building that municipal authorities previously warned could collapse partially crumbled Monday evening, sending dust and debris into a main street in the city’s Zahriya neighborhood.
There were no people inside the three-story building, according to witnesses, and only one minor injury from the collapse. According to residents, the building had already featured structural cracks.
The Tripoli mayor stated earlier this year that 700 buildings in the city were at risk of collapse due to cracks.
The Monday night incident follows several other breakages in recent months in Tripoli, including the collapse of a school building ceiling in November that killed a teenage student. Earlier this year, a Tripoli man’s balcony also collapsed, fracturing his wrist.
Tripoli residents previously expressed fears that cracks that appeared in their homes after the Feb. 6 earthquake had not been properly addressed by municipal authorities.
Reporting contributed by Michel Hallak.