Rescue workers continued to search the rubble of an apartment complex near Beirut Sunday as the death toll from the building's collapse reached nine, state television said.
Workers were still looking for a girl missing from Saturday's collapse after retrieving the bodies of three women and one of their daughters earlier Sunday, the Tele-Liban network said, quoting a civil defense official.
Five bodies were found the day before when the five-story twin buildings, which contained a total of 36 apartments, collapsed at Rmaile, 20 kilometers (12 miles) south of the capital.
The owner of the collapsed buildings was arrested Saturday as he tried to flee to neighboring Syria.
The building's contractor was also taken into custody and a search warrant was issued for the complex's engineer, a judicial source said.
Tele-Liban said an investigation had been launched into the reasons for the collapse, with early signs pointing to the poor quality of building materials during construction.
The coastal region south of Beirut has seen a building boom in recent years, attracting families unable to afford property prices in the capital, but safety standards have not always been respected.
Public Works Minister Najib Mikati said Saturday that his ministry had begun an inspection of all buildings in the sector, where about 300 suspect apartments are located -- BEIRUT (AFP)
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