One killed in building collapse in Tabraja

One person was missing and eight others wounded in a building collapse in the town of Tabraja (27 kilometers north of Beirut) Friday night, according to Lebanon’s local media sources. The 3-storey building is occupied by foreign labourers. The victim has been identified as an Indian labourer. Security forces have since cordoned off the building. Experts said that the building, which was constructed many years ago but never completed,  should have been torn down because it did not meet safety regulations. On January 15, 27 people were killed and 12 wounded when a building collapsed in the Fassouh district in Beirut’s Ashrafiyeh neighborhood. Lebanon’s Interior Minister Marwan Charbel said that the building’s age was among the factors that contributed to its collapse. The incident raised fears of further occurrences of similar ones given the abundance of old buildings in the country, and people’s ignorance about proper construction safety requirements.