At least six people were killed, and at least seven others were injured when a residential building in the Lebanese city of Tripoli collapsed on Sunday, the head of the municipal council said. Others were trapped under the rubble.
Abdel Hamid Karimeh, speaking at a press conference in Tripoli, did not say how many people might still be trapped under debris in the northern city's Bab al-Tabbaneh neighborhood. Earlier, the head of Lebanon's civil defense rescue service said the collapsed buildings had 22 residents.
Shortly after the building collapsed, a fire broke out. Firefighters were at the scene and rescued at least eight individuals from the rubble, the official news agency, National News Agency, reported. The bodies of an unidentified elderly woman and a child were among those recovered by emergency services.
Rescue operations are ongoing with Civil Defense and the International Committee of the Red Cross vehicles and bulldozers working to remove the rubble.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, in a statement released on X/Twitter, requested "all emergency and rescue agencies to remain on full alert to assist in the rescue operations."
Aoun also called on agencies to provide shelter for residents of the now-collapsed building and the surrounding homes that were evacuated as a precaution in case of further fire or collapse.
Beirut's health ministry to cover medical treatment for injured
The Lebanese Public Health Ministry announced that it would fully cover medical treatment expenses incurred by those injured in the collapse, according to NNA.