Civil Defense and Red Cross teams are working tirelessly to find those still missing. (Credit: Mohammad Yassin/L'Orient Today)
BEIRUT — Two people are still missing after the horrific collapse of a residential building in Beirut's Mansourieh suburb on Monday. Six people have been confirmed dead so far.
"A resident and a domestic worker of Sri Lankan nationality are still being sought by our teams, without interruption, despite the torrential rains," the Director General of Civil Defense, General Raymond Khattar, told L'Orient-Le Jour. On Thursday, an additional victim was "found at dawn (...) in her car parked in the parking lot," said Khattar.
Since Monday, the bodies of six women were removed from under the rubble. One woman was found alive and is being hospitalized, said Khattar.
"In the current meteorological context, which is unfavorable for searches, we are making sure that our teams continue their work, without exposing them," said Khattar, referring to torrential rains and a high risk of other collapses.
The Edmond Yazbeck E residential building was located in the Badran district of Mansourieh. Four other blocks in the collapsed building's vicinity have been evacuated by the Civil Defense. "They're all built on the same block. Our responsibility is public safety," said Khattar.
An initial tremor was felt by residents at around 10 a.m. on Monday. Shortly after, cracks appeared on a post in the building's parking lot. When the first cracks were noticed, residents were going to call an engineer who had carried out foundation reinforcement work on the building during the summer, explained survivors and relatives of residents.