TEHRAN (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th August, 2020) Iran's Red Crescent Society (IRCS) is preparing to send 9 tonnes of humanitarian assistance to victims of the recent powerful explosion in Lebanon's Beirut, IRCS head Karim Hemmati said on Wednesday.
The explosion rocked the city late on Tuesday. According to the Lebanese authorities, it was caused by the improper storage of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate. The city's governor, Marwan Abboud, has estimated the amount of destruction from the explosion at around $3-5 billion, with half of Beirut's buildings being damaged. Hospitals are overcrowded due to the large number of the blast's victims.
"At the first stage, the Red Crescent will send to Lebanon 2,000 food packages of up to nine tonnes, as well as drugs and necessary medical supplies, within 72 hours in a bid to provide humanitarian assistance," Hemmati said in an official statement.
Hemmati also expressed the intent to deploy field hospitals in Lebanon and send medical specialists to help treat those injured.
Earlier in the day, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani expressed condolences to his Lebanese counterpart, Michel Aoun, and the country's citizens over the tragic incident.
A large number of the world's countries, including Lebanon's middle East neighbors, have already offered their assistance to Beirut and expressed their condolences. The World Health Organization, in turn, said that it has sent medical supplies and surgical kits to treat the victims of the deadly blast.
The Lebanese government has declared a three-day mourning period for the victims of the tragedy starting on Wednesday. As a result of the explosion, over 4,000 people were injured, and more than 100 have died.
