Beirut blast: Rescue team detects possible sign of life under rubble weeks after explosion

Almost a month since the devastating Beirut blast, a pulsing signal has been detected under the rubble by the authorities raising faint hopes that there could be a survivor there.

 According to the reports, a sniffer dog belonging to a Chilean search and rescue forces first detected something suspicious in some building rubble that had previously been searched. The rescue team was quick to used audio equipment and detected something similar to a pulse rate of 18 to 19 beats per minute. 

A civil defence worker, Youssef Malah told Associated Press, "99% there isn’t anything, but even if there is less than 1% hope, we should keep on looking".

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Possible sign of life

Malah added that the rescue forces would continue working throughout the night. Francesco Lermonda, a Chilean volunteer is reported to have said their equipment identified breathing and heartbeats from humans and it had detected a sign at the site. He said that it was extremely unlikely but they should not give up. 

According to the reports, the rescue workers put up lights to work through the darkness during the night hours. The Chilean team also asked bystanders to turn off their phones and stay quiet while they listened for pulse. 

The explosion that rocked the Lebanese capital on August 4 has triggered public fury and mass protests. The blast was caused after nearly 3,000 tons of ammonium nitrate exploded at Beirut’s port where they had been stored for six years. 

The Lebanese government on Sunday, August 30 informed that the number of people killed in the Beirut blast has climbed to 190 with more than 6,500 injured. According to an official estimate, nearly 300,000 people have been left homeless after the blast. 

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With AP inputs