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The rescue team began searching the rubble after their trained dog gave an indication that someone was there.
Rescue teams in Beirut are searching the rubble of a building, amid reports that someone may be alive there, nearly a month after a powerful explosion hit the Lebanese capital.
Rescue teams brought special sensors to the Mar Mikhael area of Beirut, following unconfirmed news that a heartbeat was detected.
More than 200 people were killed when some 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate exploded in a warehouse in the port of Beirut on August 4. About 300,000 people were displaced by the explosion.
There was widespread anger among the Lebanese over the unsafe storage of this huge quantity of hazardous material in the port.
The resignation of the Lebanese government shortly after the explosion did not calm the protesters, who clashed with police in the city for several nights.
In another development, the Lebanese army said on Thursday that four containers with 4.3 tons of ammonium nitrate had been found outside the port of Beirut.
Experts examined the containers, according to the military, which did not provide further details.
What’s New in Al-Mashhad?
People flocked to the site in hopes of getting someone out alive.
A crowd gathered at the collapsed building in the Mar Mikhael area, where a Chilean rescue team works.
As the team passed the building’s rubble Wednesday night, their trained dog pointed out that someone was alive there.
When the team returned to the scene Thursday morning, the dog headed to the same spot in the rubble and gave the same signal. At the time, the team used a scanner to monitor the presence of a heartbeat or respiratory movement through the debris and brought in drilling equipment.
The team members divided into groups of seven and began removing the debris piece by piece, fearing further damage. From time to time, calls are made for those on the scene to remain silent so the rescue team can hear any sounds, says Urla Guren, a BBC correspondent on the site.
From time to time, those on the site are asked to remain silent.
Red Cross staff set up a tent and brought lighting and supplies. The army and firefighters, as well as volunteers, were also deployed to the site.
The Chilean rescue team arrived in Lebanon on September 1. According to a local source, the team has ultra-sensitive equipment that can detect a person’s breathing at a depth of 15 meters.
So far, there is no confirmation that anyone is alive under the rubble, but some people gathered there are hopeful, says our correspondent.
Al-Jazeera correspondent Zeina Khadr said in a tweet on Twitter that “the investigation team says it detected a body and what could be a person whose heart is still beating under the rubble.”
Mar Mikhael is one of the areas most affected by the explosion. It is a historic district across from the harbor and was famous for its nightlife before the disaster.
