Overview
- Rescuers are working through the debris of an old apartment block in Bab al-Tabbaneh, and security forces have cleared nearby structures as a precaution.
- Casualty figures vary, with the Civil Defence chief citing nine deaths, AFP reporting 14, and the state news agency earlier confirming five dead and eight survivors pulled out.
- Officials said roughly 22 people were inside when the building gave way, and several rescued residents were taken to hospital.
- The collapse is the second deadly incident in Tripoli in recent weeks, highlighting long-neglected, poorly regulated construction and maintenance failures.
- President Joseph Aoun called for full emergency mobilization, Tripoli’s mayor declared the city disaster-stricken, and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam attributed the tragedy to years of negligence while announcing the new evacuation and housing measures.