Rainfall blocks airport highway, keeps citizens stranded in their cars

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The airport highway was completely blocked on Wednesday afternoon due to rainfall, keeping citizens stranded in their cars as the water level in the second tunnel on the airport road was one and a half meter high which blocked both sides of the highway.

Citizens coming from Khaldeh made a U-turn after breaking the cement barrier that separates the two lanes.

Meanwhile, the Lebanese Armed Forces are helping stranded citizens and clearing the highway.

"Electricity was cut off inside the tunnel because of a technical failure due to the rain," sources told LBCI.

The security forces advises residents to remain safe at home

Director General of the Civil Defense Brigadier General Raymond Khattar stressed to LBCI that the responsibility falls on the concerned ministries and municipalities who did not clean drainage canals before the winter season.

He also pointed that members from the Civil Defense were present on foot to evacuate citizens since their vehicles could not reach the tunnel due the road blockage.

This as, a statement was issued by the Directorate General of the Internal Security Forces whereby acting Internal Security Forces chief Brigadier General Ibrahim Basbous ordered all ISF members to be present on the field to help stranded people and facilitate traffic movement.

Separately, the ISF chief spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Mousallem told LBCI that members of the ISF are present in all the regions, especially in Mount Lebanon where it rained heavily.

"Damages are only material and I advise people heading south to take the coastal road of Ouzai", he said.

Similarly, the coastal highway from Beirut's Saifi to Karantina leading to Dora, Nahr El Mot, Zalka, Jal El Dib and Dbayeh is witnessing heavy traffic jam due to the rain which fell in the afternoon.

In this context, some streets and roads turned into lakes and the stranded drivers called on the officials to save them.

Later, traffic jam built up on Ring-Ashrafieh bridge as well as the entrances of Furn al-Shebbak-Adlieh, Hazmieh-Chevrolet towards al-Hadath.

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