23 students rescued after school bus trapped by heavy rain

BEIRUT — Twenty-three students who were trapped inside a school bus due to heavy floods in northeast Lebanon were rescued on Monday by the Civil Defense.

A member of the Civil Defense told L'Orient Today's correspondent Muntasser Abdallah that it towed the bus, trapped on a road near Nahr al-Kalb in the locality of Kesrwan, to a safe spot to ensure the safety of the young students. A torrential downpour lasted throughout the day in the area, causing serious flooding on the roads.

With public infrastructure weakened by an almost four-year economic crisis, Lebanon finds itself, once again, ill-prepared for winter storms. Intense rains often flood large swathes of Lebanon's coastal areas, and many people end up requiring assistance and rescuing as a result.