Watch: Lebanese find comfort in reuniting with pets lost in Beirut blast

A tearful young Lebanese woman clutches her cat to her chest – like many Beirutis, she was relieved at being reunited with her pet after the blast that ravaged the capital.

Pets have been a source of solace for many of the hundreds of thousands of people affected by the August 4 explosion that ripped through Beirut.

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The monster blast at the port shattered glass and sent debris flying, killing over 170 people and injuring at least 6,500 others across the Mediterranean city.

In the chaos that ensued, many pets, some of them also hurt, bolted from their homes.

Yandi Sfeir, a 38-year-old lawyer, was injured and had to rush to hospital, where she received six stitches in the arm.

When she returned home, her cat Lucky had disappeared.

He was found seven days later, three meters underground without food or water.

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Volunteers with an animal rights groups, Animals Lebanon, which has led efforts to reunite pets with their owners, helped retrieve Lucky.

“I hoped that someone had found him and was taking care of him. But the joy I felt when I saw him... it was like a weight had been lifted,” Sfeir told AFP.

His presence has brought comfort as she struggles to process the trauma of the disaster, she said.

“I still feel the vibrations that preceded the explosions. I’m always worried that something is going to happen.”