Russian medics provide aid to 268 people injured after Beirut explosion

BEIRUT, August 10. /TASS/. Medical professionals with the Russian Emergencies Ministry have provided aid to 268 people injured in the wake of the Beirut explosion, the ministry’s press service informed TASS on Monday. "Employees of the Russian Emergencies Ministry have provided medical aid to 268 people, including 29 children. Lab workers of the Russian Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing have held 248 tests for COVID-19, and psychologists of the Russian Emergencies Ministry have provided aid in 33 cases," the press service stated. The ministry added that Russian rescue workers had pulled out eight bodies from the rubble in the wake of the explosion. On August 4, a powerful blast ripped through Beirut’s port located near the Lebanese naval base and generated a shockwave, which either destroyed or damaged dozens of buildings. More than 300,000 people have been left homeless. Over 150 people were killed and nearly 6,000 others were injured, while dozens went missing. According to Lebanon’s Interior Ministry, a fire was started by welding work and caused the detonation of more than 2,700 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, which had been seized by the customs service and stored in the port for six years. A two-week state of emergency is in place in Lebanon’s capital, which was declared a disaster-stricken city. Read more