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Search teams flocked to the Mar Mikhael area, a neighborhood near the epicenter of last month’s explosion, on Thursday after rescue teams detected movement deep in the rubble, according to state NNA news. from Lebanon.
Video from the scene showed rescuers working under floodlights to remove parts of a wall with a crane while a crowd was waiting for updates.
The search was triggered by a rescue dog that passed through the destroyed building with a Chilean rescue team on Thursday and indicated signs of life, said Eddy Bita, a worker for a local non-governmental organization.
Thermal images later showed two bodies: a small body curled up next to a larger body. A listening device also recorded a respiratory cycle of 18 per minute, Bitar said.
“There is a small chance that the person is still alive,” Bitar said.
Rescuers are digging tunnels through thick concrete rubble to reach the site of the possible survivor. Francisco Lermanda, a worker for the Chilean search and rescue NGO Topos Chile, was wary of the prospect of finding someone alive after so many days under the rubble. But he did not rule it out.
One person survived 28 days under the rubble in Haiti, he added.
Thursday’s search was temporarily suspended due to concerns that a wall could collapse and endanger the lives of the rescue team, said Beirut fire officer Lt. Michel El-Mur.
A crowd that had gathered at the site was upset with the decision to suspend the search. Some people climbed onto the rubble, trying to keep checking in.
A woman was heard saying, “We’ve been here for a month, can’t you stay up one night?” Others told rescuers that they did not “want the truth” and would take matters into their own hands.
The explosion ripped through the port of Beirut on August 4, killing 190 people, wounding more than 6,000 and leaving more than 300,000 displaced from their homes.
It was linked to nearly 3,000 tons of ammonium nitrate that had been stored in the port of Beirut for six years. Ammonium nitrate is a highly volatile material that is used in explosives and agricultural fertilizers.
After the explosion, Lebanon’s Prime Minister Hassan Diab said it was “unacceptable” that the shipment of ammonium nitrate had been stored in a warehouse in the port of Beirut for six years. But the documents suggest that various government agencies in Lebanon were informed about the presence of the ammonium nitrate, including the Ministry of Justice.
The blast sparked a furor in Lebanon, where the government has been plagued by allegations of corruption and mismanagement, and plunged the country further into economic turmoil.
After the explosions, Beirut was rocked by violent protests for days, with protesters calling for “revenge” against the ruling class of politicians held responsible. The protesters occupied various government ministries and threw stones and glass shards at the security forces. The police fired hundreds of rounds of tear gas, rubber bullets and, in some cases, live fire.
Less than a week after the explosion, the Lebanese government resigned and Diab called the explosion a “disaster beyond measure.” He chided Lebanon’s ruling political elite for fomenting what he called “a corruption apparatus larger than the state.” Lebanese President Michel Aoun has said it would be “impossible” for him to resign because it would lead to a power vacuum.
Late last month, Lebanon’s leaders appointed the country’s ambassador to Germany, Mustapha Adib, as the new prime minister.
“There is no time for talking, promises and wishes. It is a time for action,” Adib said in a short acceptance speech.
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