A building collapse in Tripoli, Lebanon killed 14 people, highlighting the city’s poverty and neglected infrastructure as residents mourn lost neighbours and livelihoods
TRIPOLI: Residents of a Tripoli neighbourhood are mourning lost neighbours and livelihoods after a building collapse killed 14 people.
The disaster in the impoverished Bab al-Tabbaneh area has cast a harsh spotlight on years of official neglect and crumbling infrastructure.
Adnan Mardash, 54, had shut his ground-floor grocery shop and gone home shortly before the building fell. “Our neighbours and loved ones died… people lost their livelihoods,” said the father of four, who now has no income.
He said residents had felt the building was unsafe and contacted the municipality, but received no response. Only eight people were pulled alive from the rubble of the 12-apartment building.
Anger mixed with grief on Monday as emergency workers cleared debris. “Officials come, put on a show then leave, they’re all liars… nobody cares about the poor people,” Mardash said.
Naser Fadel, 60, wept at his small store nearby. “We live here in extreme poverty. We’ve gone through wars… There are no words,” he said, describing the victims as “the best people, they were poor and humble”.
Even before Lebanon’s economic crisis began in 2019, over half of Tripoli’s residents lived at or below the poverty line, according to the UN. The collapsed building stood on a street dividing the Sunni Bab al-Tabbaneh from the mainly Alawite Jabal Mohsen, areas scarred by past clashes.
The Tripoli municipality declared the city “disaster-stricken” and urged the state to act. After an emergency cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said authorities would evacuate 114 at-risk buildings and provide a year of housing allowances.
Authorities will also begin reinforcing salvageable buildings and demolishing those at imminent risk. Tripoli Mayor Abdel Hamid Karimeh told AFP at least 600 buildings need “direct intervention”, warning the real number could be far higher.
In the nearby Qubbeh neighbourhood, 80-year-old Yousef Ahmed lamented a lack of help after losing his home in another deadly collapse last month. “Nobody has given us any help… there are lawmakers and rich people” but “nobody asks about our situation”, he said.
Lebanon is dotted with derelict buildings, with many inhabited structures in advanced disrepair. Several collapses have occurred in Tripoli and elsewhere over the years, with authorities failing to ensure structural safety.
Many buildings were built illegally, especially during the 1975-1990 civil war, while some owners added floors without permits. Researcher Abir Saksouk cited a lack of oversight, legislative gaps, and “unjust housing policies” as key problems.
Many residents, like 56-year-old Mohammed al-Sayed, have little choice but to stay in dangerous homes. The municipality had warned about cracks in his building after four extra floors were added. “I have no shelter or alternative place to live,” he said.