Two adjacent buildings collapse in Tripoli, while third on verge of collapsing

Two adjacent buildings in Tripoli’s Dhar al-Maghr neighborhood collapsed on Wednesday, posing a direct threat to residents and passersby, while a third building is currently at risk of collapse, L’Orient Today's correspondent in northern Lebanon reports.

Earlier in the morning, residents had evacuated after a partial collapse of one of the buildings, according to our correspondent. A video was shared by a local resident in which gunshots can be heard following the collapse. The man filming explains the gunshots were fired in order to alert people to evacuate the buildings immediately.

The head of Tripoli’s municipality, Abdel Hamid Karimah, arrived at the site following the collapse to check on residents, assess their needs, and oversee debris removal operations.

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Karimah made a phone call to the Director of the Tripoli Technical Hospitality Institute, Khalil Khalil, to arrange the reception of families from collapsed buildings. They will be accommodated at the institute’s hotel, following the approval of the Director General of Vocational Education, Hanadi Berri, our correspondent reported.

The Red Cross had arrived to the scene after the first partial collapse of one the buildings, our correspondent reported. Eyewitnesses said the building had long suffered from serious cracks and structural damage, which were visible on the exterior walls.

Residents have urged the municipality and relevant authorities to inspect the building, assist the inhabitants, and take urgent measures to prevent accidents, our correspondent added.

In late 2023, a member of the Tripoli city council revealed that some 700 buildings in Tripoli were at risk of collapsing. The president of the National Commission of Real Estate, Indira al-Zouhairi, saw the number even higher, estimating in June 2022 that 4,000 buildings were threatened with collapse in the city.

Tripoli is the poorest city in the country and suffers from dilapidated infrastructure and lack of funding. Many buildings are also constructed without meeting building safety regulations.

A child was killed when a building in the Kobbeh neighborhood collapsed in June 2022 and in 2023, there were several partial building collapses, such as ceilings, and walls, which fell on residents. Collapses peaked in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake that struck southern Turkey, causing aftershocks across Lebanon in February of the same year.

Reporting contributed by our north Lebanon correspondent, Michel Hallak.