Search and rescue operations carried out by specialized civil defense teams in the collapsed building in Mansourieh ended at dawn, during which four female citizens were withdrawn alive and eight bodies were recovered, including a foreign domestic worker.

The General Directorate of Civil Defense, while extending its deepest condolences to the families of the victims and wishing a speedy recovery to the injured, clarified the following:

Firstly: From the moment of the collapse of Block D Yazbek’s residential complex in Mansourieh, the specialized search and rescue teams immediately rescued the people under the rubble.

Under the supervision and direct field accompaniment of Director General of Civil Defense General Raymond Khattar, and caretaker Minister of Interior and Municipalities Bassam Mawlawi.

Secondly: Since the first moment of the civil defense operations, the efforts of the specialized teams alternating over a period of five days focused on not using any huge mechanisms to avoid the collapse of additional parts of the building that may eliminate the chances of dragging people remaining alive trapped under the rubble.

Advanced rescue equipment such as thermal cameras, audio surveillance devices and cameras that can be inserted in narrow areas to reach the missing without causing any damage to the surrounding cracked buildings were used, and this required days to carry out the mission in order to ensure the safety of the elements and public safety.

Thirdly: The members who participated in the rescue operations are highly trained and qualified to carry out this type of operations. 

The Director General of Civil Defense was keen to call them from multiple centers in the Lebanese regions and involve them in the implementation of rescue missions alternately day and night, abiding by the instructions of General Raymond Khattar, who successively briefed the caretaker Minister of Interior and Municipalities Bassam Mawlawi on the stages of operations.

Fourthly: In implementation of the instructions of the Director General of Civil Defense, Civil Defense personnel continue to be present in the vicinity of the collapsed building to monitor and intervene quickly when needed to ensure public safety, until the competent authorities begin removing the rubble and starting restoration work in accordance with legal principles. 

The General Directorate of Civil Defense pays tribute to the valor and dedication of the civil defense personnel, and understands that everyone is holding their breath in the face of a similar disaster and the prolonged period of time that operations took, but it is not about to expose any of the people remaining alive under the rubble or the rescue personnel to mortal danger.