The alley in Tripoli where the roof of a building collapsed, Dec. 13, 2024. (Photo relayed by Michel Hallak)
The roof of a building in Tripoli, in northern Lebanon, collapsed during the night from Thursday to Friday, killing a woman, according to L'Orient-Le Jour's correspondent, citing several concordant sources.
For years, Tripoli has been facing a worrying series of building collapses, resulting in tragic deaths and injuries. Many of these structures are old and lack the necessary reinforcements to withstand the test of time, climate change and occasional seismic activity in the region.
The Civil Defense and the Lebanese Red Cross are mobilized on the scene, in the Rifaieh neighborhood, to clear the rubble and search for possible survivors. The woman killed was identified by her initials Kh.S.
In a Lebanon emerging from two months of intense Israeli strikes, the collapse of the roof caused by the explosion of a gas cylinder in the building led residents to believe that Tripoli was being bombed.
The Internal Security Forces and the Lebanese army have deployed to the scene.