- BEIRUT: Rescue crews pulled a Lebanese worker from under the rubble after a 10-hour search Thursday, security officials said, while two Asian laborers were still missing following the collapse of a five-story aluminum factory near Beirut.
The officials said the building collapsed early in the morning, shortly before dozens of employees arrived for work.
The rescued man, Hareth Abboud, smiled as he was put on a stretcher by paramedics. He was later rushed to hospital in an ambulance.
The security officials, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, said two Asian workers, most probably Indians, were still missing.
The three men were the only ones believed to be inside when the factory collapsed in Zouk Mosbeh's industrial neighborhood, a few kilometers north of Beirut.
Scores of civil defense members rushed to the scene and started digging through the rubble. Sniffer dogs were brought to locate the missing.
The cause of the collapse appears to be a weakness in the foundations of the building, the officials said.