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French and Lebanese soldiers cleared 8,000 tonnes of steel and concrete equivalent to the weight of the Eiffel Tower from Beirut port which was devastated by a monster blast, an officer said Wednesday.
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Efforts have focused recently on clearing the parts of the port worst affected by the massive August 4 explosion that ripped across swathes of Beirut and killed more than 180 people.
"It took me four days to clear 8,000 tonnes of concrete and steel," said Lieutenant Paulin, a French officer coordinating clearing operations at the port.
"8,000 tonnes since we got here five days ago, that's the equivalent of the weight of the Eiffel Tower," said Paulin, who belongs to a French civil engineering regiment.
The Tonnerre, a huge French amphibious helicopter carrier, arrived in Beirut earlier in August with dozens of trucks and heavy machinery to clear the debris.
The blast, one of the largest in recent history, levelled entire sectors of the port, created a 43-metre-deep crater that was covered by the sea, and sent a shockwave that damaged property and wounded people several miles away.
Colonel Yusef Haidar of the Lebanese army said the port, on which the country usRead More – Source
