A residential building in the Al-Ain-Al-Amrousiah neighborhood of Choueifat has collapsed, marking the second such incident in the area within a month. The adjacent building has been evacuated due to foundation vibrations. Rescue operations continue to search for trapped individuals under the rubble of the collapsed building. A child has been rescued alive, along with four survivors, while four bodies have been recovered, identified as two women, an elderly man, and a child. Efforts to find living individuals are ongoing, conducted by civil defense and rescue teams.
Former MP Talal Arslan, head of the Lebanese Democratic Party, visited the site and stated, "A tragedy has occurred in the area, and I will not speculate further." He noted that "experts need to inform us about what happened regarding the collapsed building, and my understanding is that the municipality had issued a warning for evacuation two years ago."
MP Melhem Khalaf was also present, overseeing the rescue operations. According to local residents, the building housed six families. The collapsed building in Choueifat was owned by Ibrahim Al-Souqi, inhabited by approximately 30 people of Syrian nationality.
Civil Defense Director General Brigadier Raymond Khattar urged residents to "provide space for rescue teams, as around seven individuals remain under the rubble." Governor Mansour Dhu from Choueifat confirmed that neighboring buildings were evacuated and that engineering teams and the Choueifat municipality would begin inspections on the buildings starting tomorrow.
Later, Raja Zreik, head of the Beirut Civil Defense, reported that rescue teams managed to recover four bodies and three injured persons from under the rubble in Choueifat. The number of missing persons is expected to reach 17, given that six families lived in the building.
Lieutenant General Muhammad Khair, Secretary-General of the Higher Relief Authority, urged all citizens to evacuate the Choueifat area, where the three-story building collapsed, resulting in four fatalities. Khair stated during his inspection of the site: "Based on the decision of Prime Minister Najib Mikati, the Higher Relief Authority has been tasked with coordinating with civil defense and the Choueifat municipality to secure all equipment necessary for the rescue operation and to evacuate the victims."
