The second Egyptian plane with medical aid arrived in Lebanon Saturday morning and was received by the Egyptian ambassador to Lebanon, Yasser Alawi and some Lebanese officials.
CAIRO - 8 August 2020: The second Egyptian plane carrying medical assistance arrived in Lebanon on Saturday morning as part of an airlift urgently launched by Egypt to support Lebanon in the wake of Beirut Port massive blast that took place on Tuesday.
The plane, which was received by the Egyptian ambassador to Lebanon, Yasser Alawi, was carrying 14 tons of foodstuff and wheat presented from Egypt to Lebanon in light of the directives of the Egyptian political leadership to help Lebanon in the current crisis.
Alawi also announced earlier today that the Egyptian government decided to send medical aid to Lebanon every 48 hours until next Wednesday, August 12th.
The Egyptian ambassador to Lebanon explained that there are 40,000 Egyptians in Lebanon, including those who reside officially and others informally, pointing out that there are 200,000 Lebanese housing units damaged by the Beirut port explosion.
Egypt had sent two planes carrying medical supplies to Beirut following directives by President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi to offer urgent assistance to the country, Minister of State for Information Osama Heikal said in a statement.
Sisi offered his condolences and expressed his sincere sympathy to the government and people of Lebanon and wished the injured a speedy recovery.
On Tuesday, a fire at Beirut's port turned shortly after into a massive explosion with a huge mushroom cloud that Lebanese officials said came from a stockpile of ammonium nitrate in a warehouse.
The blast resulted in the death of at least 100 people, injuring more than 4,000, according to Lebanon's Red Cross.
Lebanese officials have said the explosion was caused by ammonium nitrate, 2,750 tons of which had been stored in a warehouse at the port for six years after being confiscated from a ship.
Several countries around the globe sent or pledged assistance to Lebanon; Egypt, Iraq, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, and Iran already sent planes and ships of food, medical, and oil aid. Meanwhile, countries like Saudi Arabia, Russia, Germany, Algeria, and the European Union pledged emergency assistance.
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