International community rallies to fly aid and rescue teams to Lebanon
▶ Jordan, Egypt and Russia set up field hospitals to treat the injured and test for Covid-19
Aircraft from around the world carried aid, medical staff and search and rescue experts to Beirut yesterday to help authorities cope with the devastation caused by explosions at the city’s port.
About 300,000 people are homeless as a result of huge blasts on Tuesday that killed at least 135 people and injured thousands. Officials said the explosions occurred in a depot containing ammonium nitrate, but many questions remain unanswered.
Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab called on the international community to send assistance as his country tried to get to grips with its latest crisis.
Lebanon was already suffering from problems such as a dire economic situation, growing unemployment and a mounting rubbish crisis.
“We are witnessing a real catastrophe,” Mr Diab said yesterday.
Those responsible for the explosions would pay the price, he said.
Egypt said it opened a field hospital in Beirut to relieve pressure on Lebanon’s healthcare services. Jordan said it was also setting up a military field hospital in the city and sent personnel to run it.
Late on Tuesday, Iraq said it was going to fly medical aid to Lebanon.
The UAE also sent medical equipment to help the thousands of people requiring treatment at Beirut hospitals, with the flight leaving Dubai yesterday.
Two French military planes will carry 15 tonnes of sanitary equipment and a mobile clinic equipped to treat 500 people to Beirut.
Dozens of emergency workers will be sent to help staff at the city’s hospitals.
France will also send search and rescue workers and 55 civil security personnel to boost efforts to find people trapped in the rubble, the French president’s office said.
The security personnel are specialists in clearing and searching through debris after a disaster and France said it was working to find out what other support was required.
Paris has also promised to provide support to the Lebanese government.
Russia said it would send enough aid to fill five aircraft, as well as rescue workers, medical staff, equipment to set up a field hospital and a laboratory to carry out and analyse coronavirus tests.
Poland sent a team of about 50 firefighters, including 39 rescue experts and four dogs, and a chemical rescue module yesterday morning.
A Greek military transport plane also headed to Lebanon carrying a search and rescue team and a sniffer dog trained to find people trapped in the rubble.
Authorities in Athens said they were ready to help Lebanon “with all means at its disposal” and Cyprus also promised to send help.
Elsewhere in Europe, the Czech Republic’s Interior Minister Jan Hamacek said Prague was sending a team of 37 rescue workers with sniffer dogs to Beirut and Denmark said it was ready to provide humanitarian assistance.