BEIRUT, August 12. /TASS/. Rescuers of the Russian Emergencies Ministry pulled two more bodies from the rubble at Beirut’s port, bringing the total number of recovered bodies to ten, the ministry’s crisis center in Lebanon told TASS on Wednesday.
"The bodies of two victims were recovered from the rubble, the total number of discovered bodies rose to ten," the crisis center reported.
In the past 24 hours, the Russian rescuers conducted the search effort on nearly 5,000 square meters at the port. Currently, the works there have been suspended because heavy equipment is clearing the rubble. The head of the Emergencies Ministry’s task force, Sergei Vorontsov, said the rescuers would resume works at nearly 11:00 Moscow Time.
The Russian rescuers arrived in Beirut on August 5 to provide assistance to those injured by the blast at the port and take part in the search and rescue operation. The Russian specialists set up a mobile hospital at the stadium. Doctors from the Centrospas unit of the Russian Emergencies Ministry are providing assistance there.
On August 4, a powerful blast ripped through Beirut’s port located near the Lebanese naval base and generated a shockwave, which either destroyed or damaged dozens of buildings. More than 300,000 people have been left homeless. At least 171 people were killed and nearly 5,000 others were injured, while dozens went missing.
According to Lebanon’s Interior Ministry, a fire was started by welding work and caused the detonation of more than 2,700 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, which had been seized by the customs service and stored in the port for six years. A two-week state of emergency is in place in Lebanon’s capital, which was declared a disaster-stricken city.