US has not ruled out blast as attack: Chief of staff

WASHINGTON: White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said the United States government has not totally ruled out that a deadly explosion in Beirut, Lebanon, was an attack but said it is still gathering intelligence on the blast the Lebanon government has said was caused by unsafe storage of dangerous chemicals.

“Hopefully, it was just a tragic accident and not an act of terror but we’re still looking at all the intel on that,” Meadows said in a CNN interview on Wednesday, after being asked about President Donald Trump’s Tuesday night comments that the explosion was likely a bomb.

Meanwhile, several countries dispatched emergency medical aid, field hospitals, rescue experts and tracking dogs to Lebanon yesterday as the world reacted swiftly to the vast Beirut explosion in a nation already close to economic collapse.

The Gulf states were among the first to respond, with Qatar sending mobile hospitals to ease pressure on Lebanon’s medical system, strained by the coronavirus pandemic.

A Qatar air force plane delivered hundreds of collapsible beds, generators and burn sheets in the first of a convoy of flights to Beirut.

Kuwait also sent medical supplies as the

Lebanese Red Cross said more than 4,000 people were being treated for injuries after the explosion, which sent glass shards and debris flying.

A Greek C-130 army transport plane bearing a dozen rescuers landed at Beirut’s airport that was also damaged in the catastrophic blast.

The United Palestinian Appeal, which aids Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, Jordan and other areas, said it had a 40ft container of pharmaceuticals valued at US$10 million (RM41.9 million) that was ready to be shipped, pending customs approval from the Lebanon government. – Agencies