An additional section of the main road in the town of Al-Safira in the higher ridges of Dhour El Choueir has collapsed, along with another part of the support wall for the mentioned road, due to the heavy rainfalls over the past days. This has resulted in the complete closure of the road, forcing residents in Al-Safira and five neighboring villages to resort to alternative side roads. The collapse has also caused damage to several nearby buildings, which have been vacated by their residents.
In light of this incident, the municipality of Al-Safira issued a public statement clarifying that "after the painful disaster that struck our beloved village Al-Safira due to the collapse of the main road wall from the intense winter rains, and not due to potholes as some claim, this has led to isolating six villages and turning them into disaster areas. Initially, we vowed not to engage with crisis exploiters and those who dance on the pain of others; however, matters have reached a point of harming people's dignity, making it necessary for us to clarify to the public: since the beginning of the support wall's collapse, the mayor of Al-Safira has been in contact with those responsible for people's interests at the Higher Relief Committee and the Ministry of Public Works, urging them to expedite the construction of a new wall to protect lives and interests. However, the issue did not receive the necessary attention and seriousness, which led to the expansion of the collapse and now endangers residential buildings and people's lives, reaching the point we had previously warned about."
The statement also noted that "the Mayor of Al-Safira worked to transfer the official Al-Safira School to the building of Al-Safira Secondary School, believing that people come before stone, and so that our children can continue their education and academic pursuit. We urge Prime Minister Najib Mikati to treat us as Lebanese citizens who have the right to state support and to feel the calamity we are enduring."
It pointed out that "the excavation works that took place were during the terms of previous mayors and not during our term, hence the need for clarification." It also mentioned that "the Minister of Public Works and Transport, Ali Hamie, committed to coordinating with MP Jihad Al-Samad to implement the wall 100% at the expense of the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, thanking everyone for their cooperation with us."
