Long-Shot Search for Survivor in Beirut Rubble Comes Up Empty
A search operation of a building that collapsed during last month’s deadly blast in Beirut stopped on Sunday after rescue workers said they did not find any survivors.
The search-and-rescue effort had gripped Lebanon since Thursday, sparking hope that a survivor might be found under the rubble a month after the blast on Aug. 4 that killed 191 people and wounded nearly 6,500. Seven people remain missing.
The devastating explosion of nearly 3,000 tons of ammonium nitrate at the port of Beirut caused widespread damage to several neighborhoods.
The Lebanese capital is still reeling from the blast, with a quarter of a million people rendered homeless.
The latest rescue operation began Thursday when a dog used by a Chilean search-and-rescue team signaled the detection of a possible human pulse under the rubble of a collapsed building.
Rescue workers used cranes, shovels and their bare hands in a meticulous search after a pulsing signal was then detected by a device.
The 5-year-old dog named Flash inspected the building several times a day as aid workers removed debris.
The head of the Chilean team, Francisco Lermanda, told journalists at the scene late Saturday that they had not found any bodies amid the rubble. Lermanda said the pulsing signals heard might have come from of a member of the rescue team.
In past days, the Chilean team had urged people on the streets to turn off their cellphones and remain quiet for several minutes at a time to avoid interfering with their instruments.
Lermanda said they will search a sidewalk after which they will declare the operation over. It was not clear if a search for bodies would continue.
Two days after the explosion, a French rescue team and Lebanese civil defense volunteers had searched the same building, which had a bar on the ground floor. At the time, they had no reason to believe anyone was still at the site.
The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior to publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
