On August 15, the operational group of the Ministry of Emergency situations of the Russian Federation returned from Lebanon. For ten days, Russian specialists helped local authorities to eliminate the consequences of the explosion in the port of Beirut. The head of the operational staff of the Russian Emergencies Ministry, Deputy head of the National Crisis Management Center of the EMERCOM of Russia, Sergey Vorontsov, told TASS about the specifics of this operation.
- Sergey Vladimirovich, how was the operation prepared and how were decisions made to provide assistance?
— On August 5, at around 12 o'clock in the afternoon, we received a command to respond to the emergency situation in Beirut related to the explosion and subsequent destruction of buildings and structures. From the media at the time, it was not very clear what happened, but one thing was clear-something terrible had happened. The first Deputy head of the Russian Emergencies Ministry, Alexander Chupriyan, urgently assembled a government commission, and then went through the standard procedure: preparing the operational staff, developing proposals. Within an hour and a half, taking into account the information that we had, we understood what we would do at the scene of an emergency.
— Who flew to Beirut?
— After an hour and a half, it was decided that four planes would fly, that an airmobile hospital, a group of rescuers, dog handlers and radiometrists who would work on the rubble should be sent to the emergency site. I would like to note that we prepared very quickly and took off. The group was about 150 people. It also included psychologists of the Ministry and a mobile laboratory of Rospotrebnadzor. They proved themselves to be excellent, taking about one thousand samples for the coronavirus during the entire operation. Three of them were positive.
— How quickly did you start working in Lebanon?
— We arrived in Beirut well after midnight. On the spot, we immediately divided the group into two components: one began to set up camp, the other conducted reconnaissance at the site of the explosion.
— And the site for the camp and hospital of the Ministry of emergency situations was determined by the local authorities?
— While we were flying in the plane, we were offered three sites: two stadiums and a car park. We chose a large stadium because the infrastructure is suitable: there is technical water, a bathroom, lighting, a place for tents. Then almost all the leaders of Lebanon visited the base camp. They were very surprised that we were able to build it so quickly. They were also impressed by the airmobile hospital: it has the most modern equipment and our medical specialists with experience in various countries, who are able to help with any injuries.
— No rescue operation is complete without difficulties. What difficulties did our rescuers face at the site of the explosion?
— In the morning, we started search and rescue operations. We worked four shifts. We have identified the most difficult place — an administrative building near the elevator, the epicenter of the explosion. We had information that there may be 18 missing persons under the rubble. According to the maps — and somewhere there were no maps - there was a lot of self-construction. Apparently, something was being built all the time. That's why we took aerial photos from the air with the help of the Department's unmanned aircraft, clarifying the situation. But the most useful service on the site of rubble and destruction is the canine service. We brought six dogs with us. The search system was structured as follows: first the dogs worked, then a minute of silence was declared, they looked and listened for any survivors, and then they sorted out the blockage. Another difficulty for rescuers was a large number of iron fittings. It could injure both rescuers and working dogs. Rebar had to be sawed through, even heavy machinery was not able to do it.
— When did it become clear that no survivors could be found?
— Of course, we were always set up to search for survivors, but the nature of the destruction showed that, unfortunately, there are no survivors. This is not debris formed as a result of an earthquake, this is debris from a powerful explosion, and it was identified as 900 tons in TNT equivalent. A few days later, our fears were confirmed by the Lebanese authorities, who admitted that there were no survivors under the rubble. We recovered ten bodies of the victims and worked out an area of 5.5 thousand square meters.
— During the work of our rescuers in Beirut, there were mass riots, was there a threat to our specialists?
— After the protests began, the security of our base camp and the work place in the port was strengthened. Our security was personally monitored by the commander of the Lebanese army. The victims of the riots with wounds and shrapnel were brought to us by ambulance. There were victims with respiratory disorders. All of our doctors provided assistance. In general, we have helped about 600 victims, including those from the explosion. I would like to note that assistance was provided free of charge, and many people came to us, because medicine in Lebanon is quite expensive. Our psychologists provided assistance in 62 cases, including 13 children.
— What kind of experience the employees of the EMERCOM of Russia has acquired in Lebanon?
— Many specialists who were part of the operational group have already participated in the elimination of the consequences of many emergencies, including abroad. This includes earthquakes, floods, and many others. Centrospas is certified as a "heavy" class unit by the international INSARAG system (International search and rescue advisory group — ed. TASS). And working in Lebanon is an additional experience for everyone who worked there.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: EMERCOM of Russia