The death toll from the collapse of two residential buildings in Lebanon’s northern city of Tripoli has risen to 15, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency, citing the head of the civil defence.
Civil Defence Director General Imad Khreiss confirmed that rescue teams managed to pull eight people alive from the rubble in the city’s Bab al-Tabbaneh neighborhood.
Earlier reports indicated that the collapsed buildings housed 22 residents, though the exact number of missing individuals remains unverified.
Tripoli, Lebanon’s second-largest city, has witnessed several building collapses in recent weeks, exposing the city’s deteriorating infrastructure and long-standing neglect.
Abdel Hamid Karimeh, head of Tripoli’s municipal council, highlighted that unsafe buildings are a chronic issue, driven by construction violations, years of neglect, weak regulatory oversight, and restrictive rent control laws that discourage property owners from investing in necessary maintenance.
“Many of the buildings here are 60 to 70 years old,” Karimeh noted. “They have exceeded their structural lifespan without proper upkeep, which significantly increases the risk of collapse. This is beyond what the municipality and residents alone can address—it requires urgent state intervention.”
Authorities are providing temporary shelter to displaced families, while Lebanon’s Higher Relief Committee is offering housing allowances for up to three months.
Charities, the Ministry of Social Affairs, and international organizations are coordinating relief efforts to ensure affected households receive essential support.
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