Building collapses in Mansourieh, several residents under rubble

A five-story building collapsed Monday in the northern Metn town of Mansourieh, trapping several residents under the rubble.

Civil Defense chief Raymond Khattar said three residents were rescued unhurt while two were still under the rubble. MP Razi al-Hajj meanwhile said he has a list with the names of six citizens and a foreign domestic worker who are still under the rubble according to his sources.

Media reports said a loud bang was heard in the building in the morning without prompting an evacuation.

A Mansourieh Municipality member meanwhile told MTV that the municipality had warned that the building’s foundations were not sound, denying reports that the building had been damaged by the Beirut port blast.

Caretaker Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi meanwhile inspected the site and reassured that Civil Defense crews would work throughout the night and would not leave until they rescue all those trapped under the rubble.