A residential building collapsed in Tripoli, Lebanon.Image: EPA
Feb 9, 2026, 10:36 amFeb 9, 2026, 10:36 am
14 people died when a residential building collapsed in Lebanon. Rescue workers searched for survivors among the rubble after the collapse in the coastal city of Tripoli last night.
Rescue workers and residents are searching for survivors in the rubble.Image: AP
Eight residents, including a child, had been rescued, the Lebanese civil defense announced last night. Its general director Imad Chrasich announced this morning that the rescue operation was over.
According to the real estate association LPA, around 16,000 buildings or more are at risk of collapse in the small country on the Mediterranean, most of them in the capital Beirut and in Tripoli in the north. In Beirut, the severe explosion in the port in 2020 increased the risk of collapse of some buildings due to the severe shaking at the time.
14 people died in the collapse.Image: AP
In Tripoli, residents took to the streets in anger after the disaster. Some rode motorcycles to the offices of local politicians and damaged barricades, according to a report by state agency NNA.
Prices for building materials have risen sharply
Lebanon has been mired in one of the worst economic and financial crises in its history for years. The local currency has lost at least 98 percent of its value since 2019. Because the price of building materials has risen dramatically, many building contractors, owners and tenants cannot afford repairs. Urgently needed renovations are being delayed. (sda/dpa)