26 Dead in Ashrafiyeh Bldg. Collapse, Govt. Orders Probe, Compensations
The death toll from the collapse of a six-storey building Sunday in the Ashrafiyeh neighborhood of Fassouh rose to 26 on Monday, officials said, with more people still trapped under the rubble.
Meanwhile, the cabinet announced it would grant compensation of 30 million Lebanese pounds (20,000 dollars) to the family of each victim as well as accommodation aid to families who had been living in the collapsed building.
The cabinet also formed a commission of inquiry headed by Interior Minister Marwan Charbel and tasked it with unveiling the disaster’s circumstances and submitting a report about the collapse-prone buildings across the country.
The commission was also asked to submit suggestions on equipping the Civil Defense Department with the necessary machines to confront such calamities.
"Until now, 26 bodies have been recovered and we believe there are more buried under the building that collapsed Sunday evening," Red Cross official Georges Kettaneh told Agence France Presse on Monday evening.
The head of the General Security Department, Brig. Gen. Raymond Khattar, said earlier that by Monday afternoon the bodies of seven Lebanese, seven Sudanese, three Filipinas and two Egyptians were retrieved from the rubble of the six-storey apartment building in the neighborhood of Fassouh that was built in the 1940s.
Later on Monday, several media outlets said rescuers managed to retrieve the bodies of Lebanese victims Maroun Saad, Alice Saad, Farhat Noaim, Tanious Noaim, Charbel Noaim and Jeanette Abi Serhal.
In Amman, the foreign ministry spokesman said three Jordanians were killed: Farah Khalil Baqleh, his wife and their grandson Laith Charlie Baqleh.
The building housed some 50 people, many of them laborers from Sudan and Egypt, Khattar said, adding that at least eight people were known to have escaped as the building came down.
Eleven others were rescued and taken to nearby hospitals a day earlier. None of them was seriously injured.
No survivors were found during rescue efforts on Monday.
Around 10 people were still missing. But rescuers began facing a new hurdle in the afternoon after heavy rains lashed the area.
Premier Najib Miqati ordered the formation of a team of experts to probe the incident after witnesses said that the building’s owner, Michel Saadeh, had warned them not to stay in their apartments on Sunday night.
A witness, Gladiss Noaim, told LBC TV on Monday morning that the residents heard an explosion during Christmas which turned out to be cracks in one of the building’s foundations.
Noaim said that she and her mother were leaving their apartment on the first floor when the debris began pouring on them. Her father and three brothers were still under the rubble, she said.
Authorities are now questioning Saadeh to find out whether the incident was due to his neglect or the construction of a new building near the old structure.
Nearby buildings were evacuated on Sunday night upon the request of the security forces, LBC reported.
Ministerial sources told An Nahar daily that the cabinet would discuss the incident from outside its already packed agenda on Monday.
The sources said the issue of public safety will become a priority and the government will take all necessary and urgent measures to deal with hundreds or thousands of similar cases in Beirut and other areas.
Old buildings should be routinely inspected to avoid such a tragedy, they told An Nahar.
Bilal Hamad, the head of Beirut municipality, urged all residents to alert authorities should they suspect any danger in their neighborhoods and said a team of experts would soon begin to inspect buildings across the capital, many of which are built illegally or have had storeys added without proper permits.
"We will immediately deal with concerns over old buildings, some of which are ticking time bombs," Hamad told a news conference.
"I ask all residents, whether tenants or owners, to inform the municipality if they have any doubts about the safety of their building."
over 12 years
The lebanese governments don't have the first clue about building regulations, inspection, zoning etc
I suggest that they copy the code of some other country (Europe/USA/UAE/Qatar) and learn how to apply it strictly and honestly.
My prayers go to the wounded and the families of the victims.
over 12 years
No problems when for the past 20+ years we have had Rafic Syria, may he rot in hell, and his band of thieves, crooks and collaborators with every enemy of Lebanon run the farce. This is another reason why they should be thrown in jail pending their hanging. Also, our great president, may God bless him, tries continuously to remove the zeer from the beer, but one hand cannot by itself clap.
over 12 years
Any1 willing to donate blood to help the Achrafieh residents, pls contact @DSCLebanon and don't forget to fill the doc http://bit.ly/A4jN4p
over 12 years
Tragic, very sad may god rest the souls of the passed ones and give strength and hope for those under the rubble.
over 12 years
To Mr. Cookie_Monster
The Lebanese traditionally THINK they are excellent in everything!
They also think that the International standards and the Cosmic laws do not apply in lebanon!
This is why we will keep having disasters like this one!
over 12 years
Very well said Slash.
Also, Wood is far less brittle and much more flexible than concrete and therefore reacts excellently to lateral loads like wind and/or earthquakes.
In any case, lets keep the comments section civilized. Every time I sign in here the quality of discussion gets more and more degraded. shame
over 12 years
As an Israeli would like to convey my condolence to the deceased families and quick recovery to the injured.
In such time of sorrow would suggest to put aside all hostility and to approach to IDF for assistance.
As IDF has special trained squad with dogs who can handle such cases.
Same they did in Turkey during 1999 and recovered injured from the ruins.
I'm sure that if an official request will come from Lebanese government and with assurance to their safety the Lebanese request will not be refused.
As in this case might help saving human lives.
over 12 years
Our thoughts and prayers goes to the families and friends of all those who died in his tragedy. We pray for those who are still under the collapsed building.
I grew up in Achrafieh and currently live in Florida; I wish that those comparing the building codes of Lebanon ( inexistant) to those in the US and western world will stop doing so. It is not the proper avenue for that...There is people that are still missing under the building and many families are mourning their deads.....It is not the time to compare the engineering marvels of Lebanon versus the world....
May God have their soul...
over 12 years
would you stop blaming the government , if a dog shits you blame it on the government, give them a break .. I wonder what would 14 march do?? enno those deputes who came yesterday to the scene, let them throw some extra thousand dollars to have new rescue materials instead of just tenzir!!
the owner may be right and that he ordered evacuation so why can't us human beings take responsibility for once in what we do and take actions?? may the victims's souls be at peace, it is a lesson for us to learn ...
over 12 years
Note to slash and Cookie....
1. The Americans build houses from wood not major structures such as buildings
2. Deforestation is happening everywhere, even if we decide not to cut down trees at all and only use concrete.... the production of concrete is very harmful to the environment... If we want to preserve the environment then we should either live like Buddhists or we should just roll over and die....
3. Lebanon actually lies on 2 major plates and we do get a major earthquake every 1000 years or so... chances are a well built house in Lebanon won't be destroyed twice, by a natural disaster, during the same generation
get your facts strait guys
over 12 years
I have never seen a country, where such a disaster happens and no one gets blamed for it !!! so you retarded politician shits....it was god's will that the building collapses?? not your ignorance? not your indifference for human life?
This is beyond infuriating that the same negligent politicians now walk in the funerals and give support to the people. what a bunch of hypocrites !! retards wake up- or wait- no dont wake up.
I hope a politicians house collapses like this. i hope their children and mothers die like this.
I hope all the retarded politicians lose loved ones (that is if they are capable of love), in order for them to appreciate the live of the ordinary citizen.
To those who died and to their relatives. I hope you do NOT rest in peace. I hope you come back from the dead and haunt the dreams and minds of the negligent politicians.
over 12 years
Cookie Monster:
lini...is that you?
over 12 years
I have a civil engineering background, but work and live in N. America, and I had a chance to visit/inspect some of the buildings in different parts of Lebanon on different visits, sometimes asked by aquaintences, and sometimes by curiosity. I am not registered in the Lebanese Eng. Syndicate, but I remember visiting their offices in Beirut in the late nineties and complaining about the standards of some of the buildings, but to no avail. This tragedy came as no surprose to me, and I expect more to happen, as many buildings, some of which are high-rise, do not meet the min. requirements of the building code - any bldg code. I expect unfortunatley that more of these buildings will collapse - some with age and some due to unexpected conditions (earthquake, etc.). There is a little that the govenment can do now for these buildings after they had beeen covered and decorated with natural stone and marble.
over 12 years
thank you naharnet for not posting what i wrote
over 12 years
To Mr. Cookie Monster
FYI I don't live in the US. I live in Lebanon like you do. But that does not prevent me from seing the sad reality as it is. It's not a matter of competition between the US and Lebanon. If structures collapsed in the US this does not make the lebanese situation right. Beleive me something is seriously wrong in the lebanese system of issuing building permits and I too would like to see Lebanon back on its feet, but that couldn't be farther from the truth right now.
over 12 years
7ebbo ba3ed ya shabeb! Where is the love?
over 12 years
where is this shiite government....
over 12 years
Slash, fair points (regarding lateral load), I agree, but I didn't want to go into the if/ands or butts in a message board.
And if you want some advice, dont bother yourself with needless argumentation (no offense mr.cookie)
I dont think he wants to be constructive. so save yourself some energy.
Are you a (or studying) structural engineering or architecture?
over 12 years
Mr cookie why are you so angry and vicious?
take it easy lol
over 12 years
yes I was addressing you :)
over 12 years
yalla!! and the government keeps on giving licenses for construction with no recognition of such old buildings!! the only thing this government cares about is its pockets!!.....i just want to point out a question...if God forbid an earthquake happens in Lebanon, what will be of all such unsupervised old buildings all around the country???imagine the extent of disaster that wwould take place!!!!!!!!!!!
over 12 years
The building was already in bad shape, but what made.worse and caused this free fall was because of the wind load. Wow sho Hal ballad el ta3ees. We are like a 4th world country now. Lebanon is like a version of the worst areas in brazil or Mexico.
over 12 years
Heavy rain, building collapses and kills 26+ and the emergency services are facing trouble. Imagine what would happen in an earthquake + tsunami situation. Alla Yestor.
over 12 years
To slash
You seem to be an educated person. That's a good start!
I don't understand why no 2 lebanese can have a civilized conversation without turning it into a fight. I thought this happens only when we discuss politics. But no! you and cookie master were just having a technical conversation and you couldn't help insulting each others!
Sadly this is another factor which contributes to the repeated disaters we keep having! we can never work as a team!
Since the crash of the Ethiopian flight a couple of years ago, the government had vowed at the time to create a special authority for natural disasters and catastrophes. How many more victims need to die before such an authority be put in place????