A plane from the UAE carrying 40 tonnes of aid has landed in Beirut to help the victims of the massive explosion, which rocked the Lebanese capital on Tuesday.
The urgent humanitarian aid, which includes critical medical equipment and food supplies, as well as nutritional supplements for kids, has been coordinated by the Emirates Red Crescent (ERC), following directives from the leadership of the UAE.
“A comprehensive phased humanitarian plan has been put in place in response to the crisis, and during this stage the focus is laid on providing medical supplies in support of the Lebanese health facilities under the current tough circumstances to help them respond to the needs of the large number of victims,” said Dr Mohammed Atiq Al Falahi, the ERC Secretary General.
“The response plan includes a significant amount of assistance and psychological support for kids, especially that all available reports indicate an increased number of victims among children,” he added.
The ERC is working with the Humanitarian Assistance Bureau at the UAE Embassy in Beirut to ensure as many people as possible benefit from the aid, in coordination with Lebanese authorities.
A fire at the port in Beirut on Tuesday ignited a stock of ammonium nitrate and triggered an explosion that was felt in neighbouring countries and destroyed entire neighbourhoods of the city, killing more than 150 people to date, injuring many thousands and making 300,000 people homeless.
Spectacular videos of the disaster show a mushroom-shaped shockwave that drew comparisons with the 1945 atomic bombs on Japan while foreign rescue teams compared the devastation with earthquake scenes.
Near the site of the explosion, by the carcass of the port’s giant grain silos, rescue teams from France, Russia, Germany, Italy and other countries coordinated their search efforts over the weekend.
The World Food Programme has promised food for affected families and wheat imports to replace lost stocks from the silos, and US President Donald Trump said he would join other leaders in a conference call on Sunday to discuss coordinating international aid.
On Friday, relief flights from Iran and Saudi Arabia also landed in Lebanon, following others from France, Kuwait, Qatar and Russia.
International police agency Interpol has said it will send a team of experts who are specialised in identifying victims.
The World Health Organisation, meanwhile, called for $15 million to cover immediate health needs.
Lebanon’s hospitals, already strained by rising coronavirus cases and a severe economic crisis, were heavily damaged by the blast and overwhelmed by casualties.
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