Beirut building collapse kills 24, more missing (collapse in Cuba also)

[Love is the answer]

BEIRUT (Reuters) - The death in toll from the collapse of a Beirut building rose to 24 on Monday and Lebanese officials said more than 10 people could still be under the rubble nearly a full night and day after the disaster.

Rescuers worked in heavy rain to try to find survivors from the ruins of the five-storey residential building in Beirut's Ashrafiyeh district.

Many of those killed were foreign workers, including Sudanese, Ethiopian, Egyptian and Filipino nationals. Twelve other people were being treated in hospital, health ministry officials said earlier on Monday.

It was not clear what had caused the disaster, which occurred after days of heavy rain in the Lebanese capital. Officials said the building was old.

Prime Minister Najib Mikati set up a team to investigate why the building had collapsed and to ensure the safety of other buildings in the city that could be prone to collapse.

(Writing by Dominic Evans; Editing by Alistair Lyon and Ben Harding)

Source: Reuters

[Andrey Eroshin]

20.01.12.
SIDON, Lebanon: Parts of a road in the Sidon suburb of Abra collapsed Thursday after the ground beneath it shifted, causing danger to local residents and those who depend on the road for transportation.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Local-News/2012/Jan-20/160484-resi...

[jorge namour]

State media: 3 dead in Cuba collapse January 18, 2012

Havana, Cuba (CNN) -- Three people were killed and six were critically injured when a residential building collapsed in Havana, state television reported Wednesday.

The building is located in a heavily populated district known as Central Havana, Yoani Sanchez, a blogger on the island told CNN en Español.

Sanchez said she saw rescuers at the site, but it was unknown if authorities believed people were trapped in the rubble.

The structure fell late Tuesday night, she said.
The injured were taken to the hospital, she added.

Cuban authorities did not respond to requests for more information about the incident.

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/01/18/world/americas/cuba-building-coll...

[Andrey Eroshin]

24 Sep 2011
BEIRUT: Heavy rains flooded a streets of Beirut and a suburbs
November 04, 2011
BEIRUT: Heavy rains Thursday caused flooding and backed up traffic in major cities
November 19, 2011
BEIRUT: Heavy rain flooded key roads in and around Beirut
http://warandpeaceinthemiddleeast.com/2011/09/sudden-heavy-rain-dis...
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Local-News/2011/Nov-04/153106-heav...
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Local-News/2011/Nov-19/154581-heav...