The Mayor of Sidon, Hazem Khadr Badi, monitored the rescue operations and debris removal from the collapsed building, which experienced several roof collapses, located on Sidon's waterfront beside the Great Omar Mosque and Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Park. Dr. Badi expressed his sadness over the death of a Syrian young man under the rubble after several roofs collapsed over him, while divine providence spared his family, who were in the yard of the house. The Mayor went to the site immediately after the tragic incident and directed the municipal police and the fire brigade to assist with the rescue efforts. Rescue teams from the Civil Defense, the Lebanese Red Cross, and the Islamic Medical Association were also present. The Director of Military Intelligence in Sidon, Major Hadi Haj Shihada, was also on the scene.
After about an hour, the body of the young man, named Ibrahim Abdullah (17 years old), was retrieved. It is worth noting that the area around the building was subjected to a series of Israeli airstrikes during the Israeli invasion in 1982, and the effects of the bombings are still visible on the adjacent buildings. The municipality had previously issued warnings to families living in several buildings in the area due to structural damage and the risk of collapse. The Head of the Engineering Department in the Sidon Municipality, Ziad Al-Hakawati, inspected the site and requested that one family still residing in the building evacuate, which will be done with the escort of security forces and municipal police to ensure the safety of the family members and to mitigate liability.
The Civil Defense Directorate announced the collapse of a residential building in Old Sidon and the retrieval of a body from under the rubble. They noted that at 1:15 PM on November 23, 2023, the Operations Room of the General Directorate of Civil Defense received a report about the collapse of a roof in a residential building in the Old Sidon area (Maqasid neighborhood), opposite the Emirates Park. Civil Defense personnel immediately went to the site and initiated a comprehensive field survey, confirming the presence of one missing person under the rubble. It was determined that four roofs collapsed gradually on top of each other. After arduous efforts by Civil Defense personnel, lasting two and a half hours, they meticulously searched through the debris with manual equipment and were able to locate the missing citizen's body. Following the retrieval, the body was transferred to the hospital using other special equipment.
