‘Good chance’ of finding Beirut explosion survivors says French rescue team

A French rescue team that had arrived in Beirut on Wednesday said that there is a good chance of finding the survivors of the port explosion that rocked the city. “We are looking for seven or eight missing people, who could be stuck in a control room buried by the explosion,” said a colonel leading one of the rescue team.

Extending its solidarity with Lebanon, the French government had sent three planes to Beirut on Wednesday with rescuers, medical equipment, and a mobile clinic.

French President Emmanuel Macron had surveyed the scene of Tuesday’s explosion that killed more than 100 people. Stating that the government has a ‘historic responsibility’ Macron said that “unconditional help is the priority.”

He also highlighted the importance of reforms to fight against corruption in the country’s energy sector and public contracts.

As per reports, at least 137 people were killed and 5,000 were wounded in a massive explosion that shook Beirut on Tuesday. Lebanon’s health minister had said that the death toll might rise as hundreds have been reported missing since the blast. Beirut is now declared a disaster city by the officials.