Aoun Orders Continued Search at Destroyed Mar Mikhail Building
President Michel Aoun was on Friday following up on the search and rescue operations at a Mar Mikhail building destroyed by the August 4 port explosion, the National News Agency said.
“To this end, President Aoun called Civil Defense Director General Brig. Gen. Raymond Khattar and learned about the latest developments related to the work of the rescue crews,” NNA added.
“He stressed the need to continue the search operation and follow up on any indication until the situation becomes clear while taking into consideration the need to guarantee the safety of the crews that are removing the rubble and searching for missing people,” the agency said.
Rescue workers were on Friday using cranes, shovels and their bare hands to search the rubble of the destroyed building, hoping to find a survivor after a pulsing sound was detected.
The search operation in the 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 after a dog used by the Chilean search and rescue team TOPOS detected something as it toured 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 its paws, circulated on social media.
After hours of searching, the work was suspended briefly before midnight Thursday, apparently to find a crane. That sparked outrage among protesters at the scene who claimed the Lebanese army had asked the Chilean team to stop the search. In a reflection of the staggering distrust of the authorities, some protesters donned helmets and started searching themselves while others tried 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 after midnight and resumed work.
The army issued a statement Friday in response to the criticism, saying the Chilean team stopped work at 11:30 p.m. fearing 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.
Source: Naharnet
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