A four-story building in the Choueifat area, south of Lebanon’s capital Beirut, collapsed on Monday night, killing four people and injuring four others.
The National News Agency (NNA) reported that the civil defense teams continued on Tuesday removing the rubble in search of more possible victims.
On Feb. 11, another five-story building in the same area collapsed, with no casualties reported.
Several buildings partially or completely collapsed across Lebanon over the past few years and citizens have repeatedly called for the relevant authorities to identify at-risk buildings and help relocate their residents. Still, a proper mechanism has yet to be adopted for this purpose.
According to the Lebanese Real Estate Authority, at least 18,000 buildings are at risk of collapse in Lebanon, including around 11,000 in Beirut and 4,000 in Tripoli.
Meanwhile, the World Bank estimates that 25 percent of buildings in Beirut are over 50 years old, compared to 17 percent in Tripoli, 16 percent in the south, and 15 percent in Mount Lebanon.
Many buildings in Lebanon were impacted by the repeated Israeli military attacks, the repercussions of the Beirut port explosions, and the heavy earthquakes that hit Syria and Türkiye. ■
