Death toll from building collapse in northern Lebanon rises to 14

By Serdar Dincel

ISTANBUL (AA) - The death toll from the collapse of a residential building in Lebanon’s northern city of Tripoli has risen to 14, authorities said Monday.

Major General Imad Khreiss, the director general of the country's Civil Defense, said that search and rescue operations have concluded, noting that 14 people lost their lives in the collapse, while eight others were rescued, the state-run National News Agency reported.

Authorities said a multistory building collapsed on Sunday in al-Tabbaneh neighborhood of Tripoli. The neighborhood where the collapse happened is one of the poorest areas in Tripoli, with building collapses are common due to shoddy infrastructure.

On Monday, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun criticized local authorities for failing to take “the appropriate precautionary measures to prevent the building collapse and the loss of innocent lives.”

Last month, two people were killed and others injured when a residential building collapsed in the same city.