“Lebanon Debate”
The southern suburb of Beirut witnessed, at dawn on Sunday, the collapse of a large part of the “Zaghloul” building, located opposite the Amhaz phone stores, after the building had been damaged as a result of being targeted during the recent Israeli war on Lebanon, which once again highlighted the dangers of the damaged buildings and the necessity of conducting the necessary engineering surveys.
Ambulance teams came to the scene immediately after the collapse occurred, while information indicated that no injuries were recorded, after the residents of the building were able to leave it in time after hearing cracking sounds and cracks that preceded the collapse.
One of the building’s residents recounted the moments of terror they experienced, confirming that they miraculously survived an imminent disaster. He explained that the collapse occurred while the residents were sleeping, and that they heard crackling sounds inside the building, which prompted them to wake up and leave quickly before a large part of it collapsed.
In turn, one of the women who lived in the building explained that she lived on the tenth floor, pointing out that a large part of her house had collapsed, stressing that she left the place as soon as she felt in danger.
In this context, the head of the Lebanese Real Estate Authority, lawyer Indira Al-Zuhairi, confirmed in an interview with “Lebanon Debate” that “the repeated Israeli aggression against Lebanon caused extensive damage to a large number of Lebanese buildings, both old and modern, as the attacks led to cracks and weakening of the concrete structures, making tens of thousands of buildings at risk of collapse.”
Al-Zuhairi stressed that “urgent engineering examination and careful evaluation of the damaged buildings have become an utmost necessity to protect families who live today under the threat of unsafe buildings,” noting that “the scene today is different, as the types of weapons used have changed, and the climatic, social, and economic conditions have also changed, which requires dealing with a new crisis linked to the possibility of building collapse.”
She added, “The recent war, and the weapons used during it with great destructive power, made it difficult to guarantee the safety of any building, whether old or modern. Even if the structure remained standing, it may be uninhabitable due to the damage to the concrete and columns.”
Al-Zuhairi concluded by stressing “the necessity of not being lenient with any damaged building, because the repercussions of collapses are not limited to the damaged building and its residents only, but extend to neighboring buildings, which requires speeding up the engineering inspections and taking the necessary preventive measures.”
