TRIPOLI, Lebanon: A mother and her two daughters were killed Tuesday when a two-story residential building collapsed in the St. Catherine neighborhood of Anfeh, north Lebanon.

Kafa Farid Sarkis and her two daughters Siham, 27, and Aida, 25, were pulled from the rubble of the building, which is reportedly owned by the parents of Deputy Parliament Speaker Farid Makari. Kafa Sarkis is a relative of Joseph Skaff, a former driver who worked for Makari’s office.

According to neighbors, some stones fell from the roof of the building Tuesday morning following heavy rainfall the day before.

Sarkis and her daughters were urged to leave the building as quickly as possible but insisted on returning to get some belongings. The building collapsed shortly after they entered around 3 p.m.

The Civil Defense along with the Red Cross, Army and security forces rushed to the scene, and after two hours of digging, found the body of the mother followed by those of the two daughters.

All three casualties were transferred to Bitar Hospital in Batroun.

According to media reports, both daughters suffered from physical disabilities and the family were on a modest income, living out of a single room on the second floor of the otherwise abandoned sandstone building.

Witnesses told LBCI that the lower floor of the building was under renovation and that the woman was asked to leave the building because it was no longer safe.