CAIRO – 5 August 2020: Egyptian Ambassador to Beirut Yasser Elwy communicated on Wednesday with a number of Lebanese officials to follow up on the aftermath of the deadly explosion that ripped through the Beirut port on Tuesday.
A massive blast that ripped through the port in Beirut, killed dozens, wounded thousands and damaged buildings across the country.
Officials have said it was caused by the detonation of chemicals stored at the port, without saying whether it was an accident or an attack.
Elwy also extended the condolences of the Egyptian people over the victims of the accident, stressing the full Egyptian solidarity with the brotherly Lebanese people in this hard situation.
During the contacts, the ambassador reviewed the activities of the Egyptian field hospital in Beirut CAwhich already started yesterday to receive a large number of injured people.
Governor of Beirut, Marwan Abboud, told the AFP that the damage from the port blast has extended over half of the city, with the cost of damage likely above $3 billion.
He has also upped his previous estimate of the number of “homeless” to 300,000, which is close to the total population of the central part of the capital.
The Red Cross is coordinating with the Lebanese health ministry to set up morgues because hospitals have become so overwhelmed, George Kettani, the head of Lebanon’s Red Cross, has told Reuters.
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