(From P1)

World Health Organization spokesperson Inas Hamam said Tuesday that the organization is sending trauma kits containing emergency medical supplies and surgery kits to Lebanon.

International aid has been pouring into Lebanon a day after the massive explosion devastated Beirut’s port.

Russia’s emergency officials also said the country will send five planeloads of aid and will send rescuers, medical workers, a makeshift hospital and a lab for coronavirus testing to Lebanon.

France said it is sending two planes with dozens of emergency workers, a mobile medical unit and 15 tons of aid. French President Emmanuel Macron’s office said the aid should allow for the treatment of some 500 victims.

Jordan said a military field hospital including all necessary personnel will be dispatched, according to the Royal Court. Egypt has opened a field hospital in Beirut to receive the wounded.

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani also said they have offered condolences and medical support to Lebanon.

Tuesday’s massive explosion in the Lebanese capital has resulted in an estimated US$3-5 billion worth of damage, Beirut Governor Marwan Abboud told local media yesterday.

The explosions have dealt another huge blow to Lebanon, which is struggling to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Arab country, with a high population density of some 667 people per square km, has so far registered more than 5,000 COVID-19 cases, with over 60 deaths.

It reopened briefly on Tuesday for two days before starting another five-day lockdown in an attempt to restrict the spread of the virus.

(SD-Xinhua)