Search for survivor in Beirut rubble grips grieving nation

BEIRUT (AP) — Rescue workers used cranes, shovels and their bare hands in search operations that resumed early Friday in the rubble of a building that collapsed last month in Beirut’s catastrophic explosion, hoping to find a survivor after a pulsing signal was detected.

The search was taking place exactly a month since the massive blast that killed and wounded thousands of people and traumatised a country that had already been suffering for months under a severe economic crisis and financial collapse.

A march and a vigil were planned Friday as well as a moment of silence at 6:08 p.m., the moment that marked the most destructive single incident in Lebanon’s history on August 4.

The search operation unfolding in Beirut’s historic Mar Mikhail district on a street once filled with crowded bars and restaurants has gripped the nation for the past 24 hours.

The idea, however unlikely, that a survivor could be found a month later gave hope to people who followed the live images on television, wishing for a miracle.

Search operations first began Thursday afternoon after a sniffer dog belonging to a Chilean search and rescue team called TOPOS detected something while the team was touring Gemmayzeh and Mar Mikhail streets, and rushed toward the rubble. Images of the black and white 5-year-old dog named Flash, wearing red shoes to protect his feet, have circulated on social media with people describing him as a hero.

The episode lay bare the raw anger and grief still there, a month later.

After hours of searching, the work was suspended briefly before midnight, apparently to search for a crane. That sparked outrage among protesters who arrived at the scene claiming the Lebanese army had asked the Chilean team to stop the search.

In a reflection of the staggering divide and people’s lack of trust in authorities, some protesters donned helmets and started searching the rubble themselves while others made calls to try to arrange for a crane.

“Where’s your conscience? There’s life under this building and you want to stop the work until tomorrow?” one woman screamed at a soldier.

Members of Lebanon’s Civil Defense team returned an hour after midnight and resumed work.

The army issued a statement Friday in response to the criticism, saying the Chilean team stopped work half an hour before midnight fearing that a wall might collapse on them.

It added that army experts inspected the site and two cranes were brought in to remove the wall after which the search resumed.

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