Deputy Amir orders aid sent to Lebanon
At least 100 dead in blast
KUWAIT CITY, Aug 5, (Agencies): His Highness the Deputy Amir and Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah instructed dispatch of urgent medical supplies to Lebanon following a powerful explosion in Beirut Port on Tuesday, Amiri Diwan Minister Sheikh Ali Jarrah Al-Sabah said.
His Highness the Deputy Amir and Crown Prince expressed condolences to the families of the victims and wished speedy recovery for the injured.
Kuwait Health Minister Sheikh Dr Bassel AlSabah, expressed condolences to his Lebanese counterpart Hamad Hassan on the deadly Beirut port blast over a phone call Tuesday.
During the call, Sheikh Dr Bassel stated that based on the directives of His Highness the Deputy Amir and Crown Prince, and based on Kuwait solidarity with the brothers in Lebanon, Kuwait would provide urgent medical assistance to confront the effects of the huge explosion and overcome its repercussions.
The Kuwaiti minister called on his counterpart in Lebanon to provide Kuwait with a list of medicines and urgent medical needs.
For his part, the Lebanese minister thanked the brothers in Kuwait for this generous initiative, wishing for His Highness the Amir, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, a speedy recovery.
State of Kuwait reaffirms complete solidarity with Lebanon following a massive explosion in Beirut Port on Tuesday, the foreign ministry said in a statement.
“The State of Kuwait is following with great sorrow and pain the huge explosion that took place today’s afternoon in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, killing and injuring tens of people and causing severe material damage,” the ministry added.
Kuwait, it affirmed, fully supported Lebanon in the face of this “painful incident” in order to “overcome its ramifications.”
Kuwait, it added, stood by the “Lebanese brothers to preserve their security and stability.”
Kuwait Red Cresent Society KRCS announced Wednesday that it organized a donation campaign through their official website for the benefit of the brotherly Lebanese people.
The Chairman of the KRCS Dr Hilal Al-Sayer said in a statement to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) that preparations are underway to mark the launch of the first air bridge planes to transport medical and humanitarian aid to Lebanon, which is in urgent need for medical supplies.
Dr Al-Sayer said the donation campaign on KRCS’s website will contribute to providing medicines, wheelchairs, infant formula and medical supplies.
He stressed that the campaign came out of the Kuwaiti Red Crescent’s sense of responsibility towards the brotherly Lebanese people, expressing deep thanks to donors who support the efforts of the humanitarian society.
Al-Sayer indicated that a team of volunteers will go to Lebanon to determine the necessary needs and provide all capabilities in cooperation with the Embassy of the State of Kuwait in Beirut and the Lebanese Red Cross.
Residents of Beirut confronted a scene of utter devastation on Wednesday, a day after a massive explosion at the port rippled across the Lebanese capital, killing at least 100 people, wounding thousands and leaving entire city blocks flooded with glass and rubble.
Smoke was still rising from the port, where a towering building of silos was half destroyed, spilling out mounds of grain. Hangars around it were completely toppled. Much of the downtown area was littered with damaged vehicles and debris that had rained down from the shattered facades of buildings.
An official with the Lebanese Red Cross said at least 100 people were killed and more than 4,000 were wounded. George Kettaneh said the toll could rise further.
It was unclear what caused the blast, which appeared to have been triggered by a fire and struck with the force of an earthquake. It was the most powerful explosion ever seen in the city, which was split in half by the 1975-1990 civil war and has endured conflicts with neighboring Israel and periodic bombings and terror attacks.
Scores of people were missing, with relatives pleading on social media for help locating loved ones. An Instagram page called “Locating Victims Beirut” sprang up with photos of missing people, and radio presenters read the names of missing or wounded people throughout the night. Many residents moved in with friends or relatives after their apartments were damaged and treated their own injuries because hospitals were overwhelmed.
Lebanon was already on the brink of collapse amid a severe economic crisis that has ignited mass protests in recent months. Its health system is confronting a coronavirus surge, and there were concerns the virus could spread further as people flooded into hospitals.
There was no evidence the explosion was an attack. Instead, many Lebanese blamed it on decades of corruption and poor governance by the entrenched political class that has ruled the tiny Mediterranean country since the civil war.
Saint George University Hospital, one of the major private hospitals in Beirut which had been receiving COVID-19 patients, was out of commission Wednesday after suffering major damage. A physician who identified himself as Dr Emile said 16 staff and patients, including four nurses, died in the blast. He declined to give his last name out of privacy concerns.
The blast also wounded a number of UN peacekeepers stationed in the area. Bangladesh said 21 members of its Navy were wounded, one critically. Italy, one of the top contributors to the UNIFIL mission, said one of its soldiers was wounded.
Interior Minister Mohammed Fahmi told a local TV station that it appeared the blast was caused by the detonation of more than 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate that had been stored in a warehouse ever since it was confiscated from a cargo ship impounded in 2013.
Explosives experts and video footage suggested the ammonium nitrate may have been ignited by a fire at what appeared to be a nearby warehouse containing fireworks.
Ammonium nitrate is a common ingredient in fertilizer as well as explosives. It was used in the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995, when a truck bomb containing 2,180 kgs (4,800 pounds) of fertilizer and fuel oil ripped through a federal building, killing 168 people and wounding hundreds more.
Security forces cordoned off the port area on Wednesday as a bulldozer entered to help clear away debris. A young man begged troops to allow him to enter and search for his father, who has been missing since the blast occurred. He was directed to a port official who wrote down his details.
In Beirut’s hard-hit Achrafieh district, civil defense workers and soldiers were working on locating missing people and clearing the rubble. At least one man was still pinned under stones from an old building that had collapsed. Volunteers hooked him up to an oxygen tank to help him breathe while others tried to free his leg.
The blast severely damaged numerous apartment buildings, potentially leaving large numbers of people homeless at a time when many Lebanese have lost their jobs and seen their savings evaporate because of a currency crisis. The explosion also raises concerns about how Lebanon will continue to import nearly all of its vital goods with its main port devastated.