BEIRUT, Lebanon, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Rescue operations at a two-block residential building in northern Tripoli ended Monday after 15 people were killed and eight injured in the second such incident in two weeks, prompting the government to order the evacuation of 114 other old and poorly maintained buildings in the city.
The six-story building, which housed 12 apartments and was home to 22 people, collapsed on Sunday in Bab al-Tabbaneh, the city's poorest neighborhood.
The death toll rose to 15 Monday after the body of a woman was pulled from under the rubble of the collapsed building. Eight injured people were rescued and taken to hospitals, Civil Defense director general Imad Khreiss said.
Search and rescue teams, who rushed to the scene, worked through the night to remove debris and create openings in the collapsed building.
The Lebanese Army heavily deployed in the city to keep away angry residents who blocked some roads and called for holding those responsible for the negligence to account and for immediate action to address the incident.
