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13 killed in Beirut building collapse

Arab World Materials 16 January 2012 12:57 (UTC +04:00)

At least thirteen bodies had been pulled out by Monday from the rubble of a building that collapsed in Beirut a day earlier, police said, dpa reported.

The dead included two Sudanese and a 15-year-old girl, a Red Cross volunteer at the scene told dpa. Eleven others were rescued and taken to nearby hospitals.

The 1960s six-storey apartment building collapsed in the neighbourhood of Ashrafiyeh on Sunday.

Gladiss Noaim, whose father and three brothers were still under the rubble, told dpa that she and her mother had been leaving their apartment on the first floor when debris began pouring down on them.

"I have been waiting here since Sunday night to hear news on the fate of my father and brothers," she said.

A police officer at the scene said more than ten people were still missing.

"We hope we can reach them before it is too late," he said.

Authorities are now questioning the owner of the building to find out whether the collapse was due to neglect or the construction of a new building near the apartment block.

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