Hero nurse saves three newborns from devastating Beirut blast

A nurse in Lebanon has been hailed for her heroism after she saved three newborn babies in the aftermath of the massive explosion that rocked Beirut this week.

The blast on Tuesday evening killed at least 135 people, injured more than 5,000 others and damaged up to 300,000 homes in Lebanon's capital.

Hundreds of buildings were destroyed or disfigured by the explosion, which officials have linked to some 2,750 tonnes of confiscated ammonium nitrate stored in a warehouse at the city's port for several years.

But amid the chaos, photojournalist Bilal Jawich documented the extraordinary efforts of the nurse at Al Roum hospital, in the Ashrafieh district, which sits just a few kilometres from the port.

Mr Jawich had headed to the area after seeing a massive plume of smoke rise into the air.

"I followed the smoke until I reached the port of Beirut," he told CNN Arabic, adding that "professional intuition" eventually took him to Al Roum hospital.

"I was amazed when I saw the nurse holding three newborns," Mr Jawich said, adding that the hospital was littered with rubble and several bodies were strewn across the floor upon his arrival.

"I noticed the nurse's calm, which contrasted the surrounding atmosphere just one metre away.

"The nurse looked like she possessed a hidden force that gave her self-control and the ability to save those children. People stand out amidst these violent and dark and evil circumstances and this nurse was up to the task," he said.

The photojournalist said the nurse had recounted to him how she was knocked unconscious inside the maternity ward when the initial blast hit before later coming to, clutching the three babies.

But not everybody at the hospital survived the explosion, according to the facility's emergency preparedness and disaster manager, George Saad.

Mr Saad told CNN that 12 patients, two visitors and four nurses had been killed by the blast, while two people remain in critical condition.

Some 80 per cent of the hospital had been damaged, along with 50 per cent of its equipment, he said.

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