A residential building collapsed Sunday in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli, killing 14 people and leaving several others injured, civil defense officials said, in the second such disaster to strike the city in recent weeks.

The state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported that an old, multi-story building in the Bab al-Tabbaneh neighborhood, one of Tripoli’s poorest areas, had collapsed. The structure, which consisted of two blocks with six apartments each, was home to at least 22 people at the time, residents said.

Civil Defense Director General Imad Khreish confirmed that 14 bodies had been recovered and that eight people were pulled alive from the rubble and transported to nearby hospitals. He said the building consisted of two adjoining blocks with a total of 12 apartments.

Local residents estimated that around 22 people were inside at the time of the collapse.

Security forces evacuated adjacent buildings out of concern that they might also be structurally unstable.

Tripoli Mayor Abdel Hamid Karimeh declared the city a disaster zone following the tragedy, and submitted the resignation of the entire municipal council to the Interior Minister.

“We declare Tripoli a disaster-stricken city,” Karimeh told reporters. “Thousands of our people are at risk because of unsafe buildings. The situation is beyond the capacity of the municipality.”

Anger quickly spread among residents. State media reported that groups of young men took to the streets on motorcycles after the collapse, with some heading toward political offices and vandalizing property barriers.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam called the incident a “humanitarian catastrophe” and said the government was ready to assist displaced families. He announced that housing allowances would be provided to residents forced to evacuate unsafe buildings.

Salam also ordered an emergency meeting with the justice and interior ministers and pledged that those responsible for any negligence would be held accountable.

Justice Minister Adel Nassar instructed prosecutors in northern Lebanon to open an immediate investigation into the causes of the collapse.

In January, the head of Lebanon’s higher relief authority, Bassam Nabulsi, said 105 buildings in Tripoli required immediate evacuation. Local media indicated that Sunday’s collapsed building was not on that list.

Property owners’ associations issued a statement calling the disaster the result of “blatant negligence” and urged the government to launch a nationwide survey of buildings at risk of collapse.

The Health Ministry said all injured victims would receive treatment at the state’s expense.

As rescue teams continued their efforts, officials warned residents of nearby structures to remain away from their homes until safety inspections could be carried out.

For many in Tripoli, Sunday’s collapse underscored a longstanding problem of unsafe housing and failing infrastructure that has gone unaddressed for years.