The death toll from the collapse of two residential buildings in the Lebanese city of Tripoli rose to 14 after search and rescue operations ended, the civil defence chief said on Monday.
Civil defence director general Imad Khreiss said rescue teams recovered 14 bodies and rescued eight people from the rubble of the collapsed buildings in the northern city's Bab Al Tabbaneh neighbourhood, Lebanon's National News Agency reported.
The two adjoining buildings collapsed on Sunday. Each had six apartments, and were home to 22 residents, Mr Khreish said earlier.
Bab Al Tabbaneh is the poorest area of Tripoli and said to be the poorest city in Lebanon where many residents live in unsafe housing.
Lebanon has been mired in years of economic, political and social crises. The recent war between Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel has also compounded the country's issues.
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam expressed his condolences and said the government was ready to provide housing allowances to the residents and would provide funds to strengthen old buildings. He said the “humanitarian disaster” was the result of "years of accumulated neglect”.
“The situation is beyond the capabilities of the Tripoli municipality,” Mayor Abdel Hamid Karimeh said.
Last month, Bassam Nabulsi, the head of the higher relief authority, said 105 buildings in Tripoli required warning notices for residents to evacuate.
Many buildings in the country were built illegally or without the necessary permits, while some owners have added new floors to existing blocks.
