Search Continues for Missing in Beirut Blast
A military official in the Lebanese army confirmed that the search and rescue operations carried out by the armed forces to find out the fate of the missing as a result of the explosion that occurred in the Beirut sea port have not stopped and are still continuing, indicating that the confirmed number of the missing is 7 people. Commanded by the Lebanese Army – in a press conference held today, Saturday, that this number of missing people inside the red zone where the focus of the explosion was checked and coordinated with the knowledge of the army, the Internal Security Forces (police) and the Lebanese Red Cross, pointing out that they are divided between 3 Lebanese and 3 Syrians and Egyptians.
Colonel Elias Aad explained that search and rescue operations are carried out by the military engineer units of the Lebanese army, civil defense teams and the Lebanese Red Cross, and even find the missing.
On the other hand, Colonel Aad mentioned that the army took over the responsibility for receiving and distributing 50% of the relief aid that arrived in Lebanon, and that the other half is received by the donor countries and countries themselves through their embassies in Lebanon in addition to the High Relief Commission (a relief agency affiliated with the Council of Ministers) and organizations Civil society.
He pointed out that among the aid that came to Lebanon was medical aid, medicines, vaccines, and medical supplies, and that the army received it and carried out the sorting and distribution process with the knowledge of the military medical departments, which prepared detailed lists on them and sent them to the Ministry of Health, which in turn sent them to hospitals in order for each of them to determine the necessary needs to carry out The army in turn delivered it.
He added that the aid that the army received and distributed included food aid, including flour, grains, canned food, and food rations, pointing out that an agreement had been made with a number of bakeries to deliver them flour in order to prepare and receive bread for distribution to citizens, as well as fully distributing food aid to the Lebanese affected by the explosion. Either by establishing fixed delivery points or by going to the people themselves and handing out the rations.
He explained that the operations to remove rubble and debris resulting from the explosion and distribute aid involve 1,300 military personnel, noting that the European Union has provided funding for the process of removing rubble from inside the Beirut seaport and sorting it in order to identify materials that can be recycled and dispose of the rest, noting that the size of the rubble More than 8 thousand tons have been sorted so far, and that there are no dangerous materials from among the rubble that pose a threat to public health.
He stressed that the process of surveying and determining the damage resulting from the explosion is still ongoing and has not stopped, indicating that there are 250 qualitative and specialized committees that include a thousand officers and soldiers and 500 volunteer civil engineers, who survey the damage in the areas affected by the explosion and that it will finish its work within 15 days.
For his part, Brigadier General Sami Hawaik, head of the advanced emergency room for the management of development operations in the area affected by the seaport explosion, said that the Lebanese army is starting its work to deal with the repercussions of the explosion in cooperation with humanitarian societies and Lebanese and foreign NGOs.
He pointed out that smart systems and modern technological means were used during the efforts to survey the damage, receive and distribute aid, assess needs, know and coordinate capabilities, and distribute work in the best way so as not to duplicate work.
He stressed that the survey and assessment of the damage to the housing units that were damaged as a result of the seaport explosion will be completed within 15 days
