Possible human heartbeat detected under rubble from Beirut explosion

Rescuers think they have detected a heartbeat. Photo / Supplied

Rescue teams in Beirut have detected what they believe may be a human heartbeat under a destroyed building, a month after the deadly explosion.

At least 190 people died last month when 2750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate in a port warehouse caused an explosion, turning much of the city into rubble.

A Chilean search and rescue team in Beirut say they have detected a possible heartbeat of a body under the rubble of a building destroyed by the August 4 blast. If true, then that would mean that the person would have been stuck under the wreckage, alive, for 29 whole days. pic.twitter.com/uLWIq5ociA

— Tamara Qiblawi (@tamaraqiblawi) September 3, 2020

Hopes were raised that there may be another survivor under the rubble after a sniffer dog detected something under a collapsed building that had already been searched.

Special audio equipment used by Chilean rescuers then picked up a possible heartbeat of 18 to 19 beats per minute.

Thermal imaging taken under the wreckage has shown two bodies, a larger one and a smaller one.

One of the rescuers, Edward Bitar, told reporters at the scene that the possible heartbeat could belong to "a small child or a small person".

"These [signs] along with the temperature sensor means there is a possibility of life."

Rescuers had been carefully digging through the wreckage but were forced to stop for the night after the building became unstable.

The decision to call off the search prompted fury from locals.

"If you're not going to continue the search then just kill us!" locals told the army, according to CNN reporter Tamara Qiblawi.

More to come.