Part of building collapses in Tripoli, wounding excavator driver

TRIPOLI — An old building in Tripoli partially collapsed on Monday, wounding the operator of an excavator while he was removing debris and rubble at the site of a building that had previously collapsed, according to our correspondent in North Lebanon.

The incident took place on Syria Street in the impoverished Bab al-Tabbaneh neighborhood of Tripoli, Lebanon's second largest city.

The vicinity of the building was evacuated following the collapse, and security forces arrived at the scene. Meanwhile, paramedics provided first aid to the injured man, who sustained various wounds and bruises, before transporting him to a hospital in the city for treatment. According to our correspondent, a state of caution and alert prevailed in the surrounding area over fears of further collapses.

On Feb. 8, a building collapsed in Tripoli’s Bab al-Tabbaneh neighborhood, killing 13 people, including a three-year-old child, and injuring eight, just over a week after another collapse in the same city that killed a father and his daughter.

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Multiple evacuations took place in Tripoli during the winter as Authorities have repeatedly warned of the increasing risk of building collapses in Tripoli.

Following these incidents, the Nawaf Salam government ordered the evacuation of 114 at-risk buildings within a month, while covering the housing costs for affected residents.

Limited intervention as a result of war

Head of the Lebanese Real Estate Authority, lawyer Andira al-Zuhairi, told L'Orient Today on Monday that residents who were living in these building are still in shelters or staying with relatives, while others refuse to leave.

She added that the issue of buildings at risk of collapse has remained on the agenda in recent months but that actual intervention has been limited “due to security and financial conditions, as well as insufficient funding allocated for reinforcement and evacuation works,” amid Israel's war on Lebanon that re-escalated on March 2.

"Building inspections continued at varying levels, but comprehensive treatment of dangerous buildings was not completed during that period," she said. Zuhairi added that around 4,000 buildings are at risk of collapse in north Lebanon, adding that the numbers are continue to increase.

Tripoli is considered Lebanon’s poorest city and its infrastructure has sharply deteriorated amid chronic underfunding.