Rescue teams search for survivors in northern Lebanon building collapse that killed at least 9
#Tripoli #Lebanon #building collapse #Bab Tabbaneh #rescue mission #urban infrastructure #National News Agency
📌 Key Takeaways
- A multistory building collapse in Tripoli, Lebanon, resulted in at least nine deaths and several injuries.
- Rescue operations are ongoing as approximately eight people are still feared trapped under the rubble.
- The disaster occurred in Bab Tabbaneh, a neighborhood known for poverty and neglected infrastructure.
- The Lebanese government has promised to cover medical costs and investigate potential negligence.
📖 Full Retelling
Emergency rescue teams in Tripoli, Lebanon, worked feverishly on Sunday, February 8, 2026, to recover survivors from the ruins of a multistory apartment building that collapsed and killed at least nine people. The disaster occurred in the impoverished Bab Tabbaneh neighborhood, where state media reported that six individuals were successfully rescued while at least eight others remain missing beneath the debris. Local authorities and medical personnel were deployed to the site as the National News Agency confirmed the victims included a woman and a child, highlighting the tragic human cost of the structural failure in Lebanon’s second-largest city.
The collapse has sparked intense public outcry and mourning, with dozens of residents gathering near the cratered site, some firing shots into the air as a sign of grief and frustration. Residents of Bab Tabbaneh have long decried the chronic government neglect and deteriorating infrastructure that plague the area. This incident follows a pattern of similar structural failures in the region, which experts attribute to a lack of oversight, poor building standards, and the aging condition of residential blocks in high-density urban zones.
In response to the tragedy, Lebanon’s Health Ministry announced that all those injured in the collapse would have their medical expenses covered by the state. Meanwhile, the national syndicate for property owners issued a scathing statement blaming the tragedy on the "blatant negligence" of the Lebanese state regarding housing security. The organization characterized the collapse as a predictable outcome of systemic shortcomings rather than an isolated accident, calling for an immediate national survey of all buildings deemed at risk to prevent further loss of life.
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam addressed the nation, pledging government assistance for those displaced and promising to reinforce other structures in danger of failing. While the Prime Minister emphasized that local authorities are responsible for identifying unstable buildings, he vowed that the central government would hold negligent parties accountable. As a precaution, several surrounding buildings were evacuated, leaving many families waiting for state-run shelter programs as the search for the missing continues.
🏷️ Themes
Infrastructure, Public Safety, Government Accountability
📚 Related People & Topics
Tripoli
Topics referred to by the same term
Tripoli (Greek: Τρίπολη) or Tripolis (Ancient Greek: Τρίπολις, both lit. 'three cities') may refer to:
Lebanon
Country in West Asia
Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west; Cyprus lies a short...
📄 Original Source Content
By — Associated Press Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Rescue teams search for survivors in northern Lebanon building collapse that killed at least 9 World Feb 8, 2026 6:16 PM EST BEIRUT — At least nine people were killed and six rescued from the rubble of a multistory apartment building that collapsed Sunday in the city of Tripoli in northern Lebanon, state media reported. Rescue teams were continuing to dig through the rubble in search of an additional eight people believed to be missing, the state-run National News Agency reported. The bodies pulled out included a child and a woman. Dozens of people crowded around the site of the crater left by the collapsed building, with some shooting in the air. READ MORE: Building collapse kills at least 22 in Moroccan city of Fez The building was in the neighborhood of Bab Tabbaneh, one of the poorest areas in Lebanon's second largest city, where residents have long complained of government neglect and shoddy infrastructure. Building collapses are not uncommon in Tripoli due to poor building standards. Lebanon's Health Ministry announced that those injured in the collapse would receive treatment at the state's expense. The national syndicate for property owners in a statement called the collapse the result of "blatant negligence and shortcomings of the Lebanese state toward the safety of citizens and their housing security," and said it is "not an isolated incident." READ MORE: Rescuers rush to help survivors buried in Indonesian school building collapse The syndicate called for the government to launch a comprehensive national survey of buildings at risk of collapse. Government officials pledged to assist in providing shelter to the survivors and to residents of surrounding buildings that were evacuated out of fear that they were also structurally unsound. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said in a statement that the government ...