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Animal charity is reuniting pets with their owners after Beirut explosion

Beirut was rocked by a devastating explosion on Tuesday, an explosion which, at the time of writing, has claimed at least 137 lives with many more still missing, CNN reports.

However, there is not only a human cost to the tragedy, but an animal one too, and now a charity is working to reunite pets with their owners in the aftermath of the explosion.

The animals are being reunited thanks to the non-profit group Animals Lebanon and their executive director Jason Mier said that their work during this "overwhelming" time was "making people happy".

This is the heartwarming moment a dog and its owner were reunited after the explosion: 

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Mier said: "The goal really now is to reunite people with their lost pets, and that's been working well, we've found owners of at least 20 dogs and cats so far."

The organization, however, did not emerge from the blast unscathed and their office was damaged, which resulted in additional injuries to several cats.

Describing it as the "most difficult situation" the organization has faced in its 12 years, Mier said: "We've been contacted a couple of hundred times so far since last night, we are the main animal welfare organization in the country."

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Mier continued: "So far today we have had more than 40 people out, working in teams of two or three, and that has been ongoing since 8pm last night.

"The goal is to keep going, I know we're doing good stuff, I know we're making people happy, but it's overwhelming for everybody."

It's not known how many animals have been lost as a result of the blast, however, countless owners have taken to social media in a bid to spread the word of their missing pets.

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Mier said: "We've joined international conventions, we've drafted and passed national animal welfare law, we work throughout the country helping all types of animals.

"With the compounding of all these things, the economic crisis, the government collapse… coronavirus, rising unemployment, and now this blast. This is the most difficult situation we've ever been in.

"We're just trying to get through the day. There's a lot of people ready to help."

If you'd like to help Animals Lebanon during this difficult time, you can do so here.