Several GCC countries pay tribute to Beirut blast victims, vow to send medical aid

Countries within the Gulf Cooperation Council paid tribute to victims of the two powerful blasts that rocked Beirut earlier on Tuesday, with several of the countries saying they will be sending medical assistance to Lebanon.

Two enormous explosions rocked Beirut’s port on Tuesday, killing at least 50 people and wounding thousands.

For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.

Kuwait issued an Emiri decree to send medical assistance to Lebanon.

Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates’ Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash tweeted that “our hearts are with Beirut and its people.”

He posted the tribute alongside an image of Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, illuminated in the colors of the Lebanese flag.

Read more:

Thousands injured, more than 50 dead after explosions rock Lebanon capital

Damaged Saint George hospital treating patients in parking lot after Beirut blasts

Secretary-General of Kataeb Party succumbs to wounds after Beirut explosions

Watch: The Saint George hospital in the Geitawi neighborhood of #Beirut has been damaged and is without electricity, with doctors treating patients in the parking lot following the blasts in Port Beirut, footage from our correspondent shows.#Lebanonhttps://t.co/GIZh87KXCO pic.twitter.com/sR0CAPHrSp

— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) August 4, 2020

“Our prayers during these difficult hours are that God... protects brotherly Lebanon and the Lebanese to reduce their affliction and heal their wounds,” he wrote.

Gulf countries maintain close ties with Beirut and have long provided financial aid and diplomatic assistance to mediate Lebanon’s political and sectarian divisions.

Watch: Graphic footage shows several wounded people being transported away from the explosion sites in #Lebanon's #Beirut.https://t.co/IB8kyus4cq pic.twitter.com/ulXSyzxHpH

— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) August 4, 2020

Bahrain’s foreign ministry urged its nationals in Lebanon to contact the ministry’s operations center or Manama’s representative in Beirut, while Kuwait ordered its citizens to take extreme caution and stay indoors.

It also asked those in need of assistance to contact their embassy.

(With AFP and Reuters)