The World Health Organization will ship US$1.7 million worth of Personal protective equipment and humanitarian supplies to Lebanon following last week’s deadly blast that left 158 people dead and more than 6,000 others injured.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom made the announcement on Tuesday at a media briefing, where he reiterated the agency’s solidarity with Lebanon.
“We’re also mitigating the COVID-19 impact, addressing psychosocial needs and facilitating the rapid restoration of damaged health facilities,” said Tedros.
The blast rocked the Port of Beirut at around 6 p.m. local time (1610 GMT) on 4 August, shaking buildings all over the city and causing massive casualties and damages.
WHO reports that more than 300,000 people were left homeless by the explosion.
The cause of the blast is being investigated. But Lebanon’s prime minister, Hassan Diab, said the cause of the massive explosion was 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored in a warehouse for six years. President Michel Aoun tweeted it was “unacceptable” the explosives had been stored unsafely.
In his remarks on Monday, Tedros also issued an appeal for US$ 76 million to be directed towards recovery efforts of the Middle Eastern country.
