Dhaka sending medical team, emergency food to blast-hit Beirut
Bangladesh has decided to send a medical team, emergency food and primary medical supplies to Lebanon as twin explosions devastated its capital Beirut on Tuesday evening.
Bangladesh stands ready to provide any emergency support to Lebanon, if necessary, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday.
Foreign minister AK Abdul Momen talked to Lebanese foreign minister Charbel Wehbe on Wednesday and expressed sympathies and condolences over the incident and damages.
He expressed gratitude to the government of Lebanon for providing necessary supports, including treatment to Bangladeshis injured in the explosions.
At least four Bangladeshi citizens were killed and 79 injured in the incident. Twenty-one Bangladesh Navy personnel are among the injured.
Bangladesh Embassy in Beirut confirmed the death of four Bangladeshis citing hospital sources while the ISPR confirmed the injuries of the Bangladesh Navy personnel.
The deceased were identified as Mehdi Hasan Roni, hailing from Brahmanbaria, Mizan from Madaripur, Rezaul from Cumilla and Rasel Miah from Brahmanbaria.
The Embassy also urged all to inform it through its hotline number if they come to know of any more casualties.
Some 150,000 Bangladesh nationals work in a number of sectors in Lebanon.
In a video message, Bangladesh ambassador to Lebanon major general Md Jahangir Al Mustahidur Rahman said prime minister Sheikh Hasina is getting updated information on overall situation in Lebanon.
He said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment Ministry are giving necessary directives on treatment, financial support to Bangladeshis and other issues.
Investigators began searching the wreckage of Beirut’s port on Wednesday for clues to the cause of the massive explosions that ripped across the Lebanese capital as the government ordered port officials put under house arrest, reports AP.
International aid flights began to arrive, as Lebanon’s leaders struggled to deal with the aftermath of Tuesday’s blast, crippled by an economic crisis and facing a public where many already blame chronic mismanagement and corruption among the ruling elite for the disaster.
The explosion at the port killed at least 100 people and wounded thousands. Hospitals were overwhelmed — one that was damaged in the blast had to evacuate all its patients to a nearby field for treatment.
Buildings were damaged for miles around the city, and Beirut’s governor said Wednesday that hundreds of thousands might not be able to return to their homes for two or three months.