Choueifat disaster: Building collapse raises questions of legal responsibility, as toll rises

Report by Ghida Fayad, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian.

A new disaster hit Choueifat, as a residential building consisting of three floors collapsed on the heads of four families living in it. The toll was four dead and six injured, according to the Lebanese Red Cross and Civil Defense.

The cause of the building collapse this time was the sliding of the soil and rocks from the mountain behind it due to the absence of a sturdy support wall to protect it, violating the law.

Did the building owner inform of this, and did he take any action, especially since the construction laws are clear, stating that the legal responsibility lies with the owners of the building, obliged to preserve their property, renovate their buildings, and maintain them to ensure the safety of occupants and neighbors?

The responsibility is not limited to the building or property owner alone. According to the law, it is the municipality's duty to intervene when there is a building threatened with collapse by issuing a maintenance warning to the property owner. 

In case of non-compliance, the municipality has the authority to forcibly evacuate the building.

The absence of a support wall or cracks in the building's foundations has the same result: repeated crimes in several areas, and the reason is the non-enforcement of the law.

What happened in Choueifat could happen again. The number of buildings threatened with collapse, as counted by municipalities, is 1140 properties across Lebanon in need of immediate evacuation, reinforcement, and renovation. 

Due to a lack of financial resources, the Lebanese government is seeking funding from international organizations, a step that remains, as of now, far from implementation.