Tripoli Building Evacuated over Fears of Collapse

A residential building, whose owner had violated construction regulations in the northern city of Tripoli, was evacuated on Friday over fears it would collapse, municipal chief Nader Ghazal said.

The state-run National News Agency said the building, which is located in Abi Samra district, was evacuated after cracks began appearing in its walls and foundations.

Ghazal said Tripoli municipality had on several occasions warned the owner that the seven-story building cannot sustain an addition of two more stories.

But he didn't react positively to the warning and went ahead with the construction, prompting Ghazal to order the evacuation “to save the lives of seven families.”

The municipal chief told NNA that he was in contact with caretaker PM Najib Miqati and the Higher Relief Council to provide temporary housing for the families.

The Internal Security Forces blocked the roads that lead to the building over fears it would collapse, the news agency said.

Lebanon and mainly Tripoli are rife with building violations and locals often clash with security forces seeking to terminate illegal construction.

Several buildings have collapsed in different parts of Lebanon in the past few years, the worst of which was in January 2012 when a six-story residential building came crushing down in Beirut's Ashrafiyeh district, leaving scores of casualties.

A few weeks later, the authorities decided to remove the Jal el-Dib bridge that links Beirut with the North after warnings the structure could collapse.

The Ashrafiyeh building's collapse put the spotlight on the dismal state of old properties across the country and sparked widespread anger and accusations that authorities had failed to address the problem.