BEIRUT (AP) – People throughout Lebanon observed a moment of silence Friday marking one month since the devastating Beirut explosion, while rescuers dug through the rubble of a building destroyed in the blast, hoping to find a survivor.
The split-screen images reflected the pain and anguish that persists one month after the Aug. 4 blast that killed 191 people, injured 6,000 others and traumatized Lebanon, which already was suffering under a severe economic crisis and financial collapse.
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 after one month gave hope to people who followed the live images on television, wishing for a miracle.
Rescue workers used cranes, shovels and their bare hands, searching meticulously after a pulsing signal was detected. 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.