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    Home»News»Lebanon News
    Outraged People Confront Soldiers Who Paused Rescue Of Potential Survivor
    Al-Jazeera/Timour Azhari
    2 Mins Read

    Outraged People Confront Soldiers Who Paused Rescue Of Potential Survivor

    By Hussein YassineSeptember 4, 2020Updated:September 12, 2020
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    The people of Lebanon held their breaths when, on Thursday, a ray of hope emerged from underneath the rubble in Beirut.

    While the Chilean search and rescue team was operating in Gemmayze, their rescue dog led them to a particular site, where their equipment then detected the presence of a dead body and, potentially, a live person.

    However, the unrelenting work that ensued in light of that discovery was abruptly halted, hours later, by the Lebanese Army.

    Someone might still be alive under the rubbles and yet the Lebanese army decided to pause the work asking all search & rescue teams to resume their work in the morning because the government can't secure a crane to support the Chilean team at 11 PM. What!

    — Luna Safwan – لونا صفوان (@LunaSafwan) September 3, 2020

    To the outrage of the hopeful people at the site, and to countless others anxiously watching the unnerving rescue operation from home, soldiers ordered the search and rescue teams to stop the operation.

    The Army asked the teams to resume their work in the morning because the government could not secure a crane for support until the next day.

    People are angry as the army wants to stop rescue since they can’t get a crane!!! How is this possible some one is alive there! https://t.co/8t6gOWUcuA

    — LJ (@LayalJebran) September 3, 2020

    This was after the rescuers were instructed to retreat from the site for concerns related to a safety hazard posed by the volatile building at the site.

    People were enraged and many of them confronted the soldiers, calling their action inhumane, considering the possibility of there being a survivor (possibly a child) trapped under the rubble.

    Basically: https://t.co/r4inpn2fxq

    — Kareem Chehayeb | كريم شهيب (@chehayebk) September 3, 2020

    Similar messages of anger and disbelief filled social media platforms as people blasted the army and the government for the indifference toward – potentially – a literal life-or-death situation.

    At the time of writing, individual efforts are ongoing on the ground to secure a crane and resume the rescue operation.

    People are rightly enraged. “You’re going to bring the crane now. Don’t ask the state, ask us, we’ll bring the crane.”

    The idea that someone who spent 30 days under rubble will be left there another night is torture – especially for such a reason.

    Bring the god damn crane! https://t.co/NbtWwbNLeQ

    — Timour Azhari (@timourazhari) September 3, 2020

    Meanwhile, a small group of civilians entered the building beside the operation site, saying that they would carry on the search on their own.

    Three men have entered the building next to the site where crews were searching for a possible survivor after the army halted the operation. They say they will search themselves. Crowd is cheering them on. #Beirutblast #Lebanon pic.twitter.com/kcUc4l3W8K

    — Rebecca Collard (@rebeccacollard) September 3, 2020
    Beirut Explosion
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