On Wednesday, the Lebanese government has declared a state of emergency for two weeks in Beirut in the wake of the devastating explosions rocked the capital.
During the Lebanon's cabinet meeting, an order was issued for putting an unspecified number of Beirut port officials under house arrest pending an investigation into how 2750 tons of ammonium nitrate came to be stored at the port for years.
The move comes amid speculation that negligence was to blame for the explosion that killed more than 100 people.
The Lebanese Red Cross official George Kettaneh said at least 100 people were killed and more than 4,000 were wounded, and said the toll could rise further.
On his part, the Prime Minister Hassan Diab said that what happened “a great catastrophe that struck Lebanon,” adding that a quick process of repairing damages and providing urgent aid to help people has been initiated.
Diab also called upon “All political forces (Lebanese) to stop the confrontations and focus on addressing the repercussions of the explosion.”
The Beirut Port witnessed a massive explosion, which occurred in a warehouse in Ward 12, near the silos of wheat. The sound was heard throughout Beirut, while the explosion resulted in dozens of deaths, thousands of injuries, and the destruction of many buildings.
Notably, Gulf Arab states have offered various forms of support for Lebanon, though any sustained financial assistance is complicated by the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group’s presence in government and on the ground.
Saudi-funded medical teams were dispatched from north Lebanon to Beirut to care for and to help transport the wounded on Tuesday, while a specialized team from a Saudi-funded medical center provided emergency health care services in the Lebanese capital, according to the state-run Saudi Press Agency.
Kuwait and Qatar dispatched airplanes full of medical cargo. Qatari officials told The Associated Press that cargo from Doha included two large air-conditioned tents, kits for 1,000 beds, generators and diesel tanks, 50 ventilators, emergency medical supplies like first aid kits, gauze and needles, and medicine. A search and rescue team was also being sent to support.
Meanwhile, urgent medical and humanitarian supplies were being sent from the International Humanitarian City in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
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