Fifteen killed in latest Lebanon building collapse, as warnings of neglect grow

Fifteen killed in latest Lebanon building collapse, as warnings of neglect grow3 hours agoSamantha GranvilleBeirutReutersAll residents have been accounted for but officials have warned other people could still be missingThe death toll from the collapse of two residential buildings in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli has risen to 15, state media say.Eight people were rescued alive, Civil Defence director general Imad Khreiss said.Khreiss said the two adjoining buildings were home to 22 residents, but local municipal authorities warned people could still be missing.Social media footage captured the moment the buildings collapsed, with one side giving way at the lower floors before both structures fell almost simultaneously.The latest disaster is the fifth residential building collapse in Tripoli this winter, highlighting growing concerns over old and undermaintained buildings in Lebanon's poorest city.The footage shows a thick cloud of dust and debris engulfing the street as the buildings folded in on one another.After the collapse, large crowds gathered around the site of a crater where the buildings had stood.Tripoli's mayor, Abdel Hamid Karimeh, said the city had suffered long-term dereliction."Thousands of our people in Tripoli are threatened due to years of neglect," he said. "The situation is beyond the capabilities of the Tripoli municipality."He later announced he had submitted his resignation to the interior minister, describing Tripoli as "disaster-stricken."President Joseph Aoun said he was "monitoring developments" and called on rescue workers across the country to mobilise. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam described the buildings collapse as a "humanitarian catastrophe" and said the government was ready to help."The government is fully prepared to provide accommodation for all residents of buildings that need to be evacuated," he said, adding that the disaster was the "results of years of accumulated neglect".The collapse comes days after residents were evacuated from a nearby building following structural cracking, and two weeks after another deadly collapse, where a father and daughter were killed.Tripoli is Lebanon's second-largest city and has seen repeated building failures amid years of economic crisis, lack of maintenance, and weak regulation.Last month, the head of the Higher Relief Authority said more than 100 buildings in the city required evacuation warnings.Many residential blocks across Lebanon were built illegally or without permits, especially during the 1975-1990 civil war, while others have been expanded with additional floors without proper oversight, authorities say, leaving thousands at risk, especially during the cold and wet winter months.In a statement, the national syndicate for property owners said the collapse was the result of "blatant negligence and shortcomings of the Lebanese state toward the safety of citizens and their housing security," and urged the government to carry out a nationwide assessment of buildings at risk of collapse.