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RESCUERS in Beirut today detected a possible “heartbeat” of a “little boy” buried under the rubble, 29 days after the colossal explosion.
A pulsating signal was detected under the building that collapsed during the port explosion that killed 191 people in the Lebanese capital last month.
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Rescue worker Edward Bitar told reporters at the scene that the pulse could be that of “a small child or a small person hiding within” the rubble.
He said: “These (respiratory and pulse signs) together with the temperature sensor means there is a possibility of life.”
A sniffer dog was reported to have alerted authorities to the possible victim, prompting a major rescue effort.
The street was one of the hardest hit by the August 4 explosion, which was caused by a neglected supply of ammonium nitrate in the city’s port.
Using audio detection equipment, the team looked for signals or beats and detected what could be a pulse of 18 to 19 beats per minute.
“The faint heartbeat detected when our sniffer dog, named Flash, was investigating this building on the first and second floors,” a Chilean rescuer named Francisco told The Sun.
He added: “We have to work very slowly for the destruction, but we hope that someone is still alive.”
Describing the delicate rescue operation, Bitar said: “We have to work in small teams to make sure the rubble doesn’t collapse further.”
“However, we expect that due to the instability and tight space, it will take considerable time.
“It is very delicate work, but we pray that we get someone out alive.”
Footage from the scene shows rescuers in bright jackets climbing the collapsed building with rescue dogs.
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The search team was installing searchlights at the site as the sun set.
Local media said that any search and rescue effort, if it became clear that someone was still alive, would likely take hours.
It is extremely unlikely that survivors will be found a month after the explosion that ripped through Beirut when nearly 3,000 tons of ammonium nitrate caught fire in the port.
The explosion killed 191 people and injured another 6,000 and is considered one of the largest non-nuclear explosions ever recorded. Thousands of homes were damaged.
“Ninety-nine percent there is nothing, but even if there is less than 1 percent hope, we should keep looking,” said Youssef Malah, a civil defense worker.
He said his men would continue to work throughout the night, adding that the work was extremely delicate.
However, one volunteer said his team identifies the respiration and heartbeat of humans, not animals, and detected a signal from a human.
For days, a French rescue team and other volunteers had examined the rubble of buildings after the explosion and had no reason to believe that there were bodies or survivors left.
In another chilling reminder of the horrific explosion, the Lebanese military said it discovered more than four tons of ammonium nitrate near the port of Beirut today.
According to the army, army experts were called in for an inspection and found 4.35 tons of the dangerous chemical in four containers stored near the port.
There were no details on the origin of the chemicals or their owner,
Days after the August 4 explosion, French and Italian chemical experts working amid the wreckage of the port identified more than 20 containers carrying dangerous chemicals.
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The army later said that these containers were moved and stored safely in locations far from the port.
French experts and the FBI have participated in the investigation of the explosion, at the request of the Lebanese authorities. Their findings have yet to be published.
So far, authorities have detained 25 people during last month’s blast, most of them port and customs officials.
More to follow …
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