Building collapse kills 15 in northern Lebanon
Dalal Saoud
Mon, February 9, 2026 at 9:20 PM UTC
2 min read
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BEIRUT, Lebanon, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Rescue operations at a two-block residential building in northern Tripoli ended Monday after 15 people were killed and eight injured in the second such incident in two weeks, prompting the government to order the evacuation of 114 other old and poorly maintained buildings in the city.
The six-story building, which housed 12 apartments and was home to 22 people, collapsed on Sunday in Bab al-Tabbaneh, the city's poorest neighborhood.
The death toll rose to 15 Monday after the body of a woman was pulled from under the rubble of the collapsed building. Eight injured people were rescued and taken to hospitals, Civil Defense director general Imad Khreiss said.
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Search and rescue teams, who rushed to the scene, worked through the night to remove debris and create openings in the collapsed building.
The Lebanese Army heavily deployed in the city to keep away angry residents who blocked some roads and called for holding those responsible for the negligence to account and for immediate action to address the incident.
A number of residents living in similar old buildings quickly began to evacuate their homes.
Two people were killed in a similar building collapse in Tripoli last month --the fifth such incident this winter.
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said after a cabinet meeting that 114 buildings in Tripoli will be gradually evacuated over the course of one month, and that temporary shelters have been set up for their residents.
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The cabinet also decided to reinforce buildings that can be saved and demolish those at risk of collapse.
The mayor of Tripoli, Abdul Hamid Karimeh, warned that many buildings in the city were built 70 years ago and were left without proper maintenance, noting that 105 of them risk collapse and need to be demolished.
Many of these buildings were constructed illegally, particularly during the civil war from 1975 to 1990, and some owners added new floors to existing residential structures without required permits.