The ruins of a block of two collapsed buildings in Tripoli. (Credit: Téa Ziade/L'Orient-Le Jour)
BEIRUT — The municipality of Tripoli ordered the immediate demolition of a building at risk of collapse in Qobbeh, a disadvantaged neighborhood in the city, according to L'Orient Today's north Lebanon correspondent.
In a video circulated by local media and on social networks, a resident of the building reportedly threatened to set himself on fire.
In the Bab al-Tabbaneh neighborhood, residents of a building on Bazzar Street called on the relevant technical authorities to inspect the structure after hearing loud cracking noises inside their homes, our correspondent added. They evacuated the premises as a precaution.
Elsewhere, the old abandoned building known as Shanbour, located next to the Citadel of Tripoli, suffered a new partial collapse. Municipal police were dispatched to monitor the area and ensure the safety of passersby and nearby property. The adjacent road remains open to traffic.
Meanwhile, the Tripoli Working Group called for support for humanitarian donation campaigns targeting damaged buildings. In a statement, the group stressed that only the Lebanese Army is capable of conducting a comprehensive inventory of threatened structures, carrying out necessary evacuations and managing the logistical response.
The group said it had “held a meeting dedicated to reviewing ways to support and assist humanitarian donation initiatives, following the collapse of two buildings and the resulting loss of life, reflecting the danger faced by thousands of families living in cracked and crumbling buildings.”
The previous day, security forces urged residents of the Ridani building on the Beddawi Highway to evacuate immediately due to significant structural cracks.
At the end of January, the collapse of a block comprising two buildings killed a father and his daughter. On Feb. 8, the collapse of two additional buildings left 13 people dead, including a child under three.
At least 114 inhabited buildings are at immediate risk of collapse, according to the government and the municipality of Tripoli, which is continuing its survey. Figures provided by our correspondent indicate that around 600 families urgently need alternative housing. Restoration work has already begun on several buildings across different neighborhoods of the city.
Since the start of winter, multiple evacuations have taken place in Tripoli. Authorities have repeatedly warned of the growing risk of collapses in what is widely considered Lebanon’s poorest city, where infrastructure has sharply deteriorated amid chronic funding shortages.
On Thursday, the CMA CGM Foundation, led by Rodolphe Saadeh and his family, announced the creation of a $1 million emergency fund to support the country’s second-largest city.
