India sends humanitarian aid to Lebanon

New Delhi: Following the massive explosion on August 4 in the Lebanese Capital Beirut allegedly due to a stored explosive chemical catching fire, India on Friday despatched 58 metric tonnes of emergency humanitarian aid and relief material to the west Asian nation.

The materials include emergency medical supplies, wheat flour, sugar and pulses, and also relief materials like blankets, dignity kits and sleeping mats “which are required as large number of people have been rendered homeless”.  

The materials were transported by an IAF C-17 transport aircraft that landed in Beirut earlier in the day on Friday.

In the wake of the “spike in the Covid-19 cases in Lebanon, India has also “separately sent Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) including surgical gloves and surgical gowns” which is “expected to reach Beirut in the coming days”, the MEA said.

In a statement, the MEA said, “In response to the massive explosion in Beirut on 4 August, we had offered our assistance to Lebanon and sought from them an assessment of their requirement. Based on this, today morning an Indian Air Force C-17 aircraft was deployed to deliver 58 MT of emergency humanitarian aid on behalf of the Government of India to Lebanon.”

 MEA also added that, “The aircraft landed in Beirut a few hours back and the aid has been handed over by our Ambassador to senior officials of the Lebanese Armed Forces which is coordinating all the relief efforts. The aid contains emergency medical supplies, wheat flour, sugar and pulses, and also relief materials like blankets, dignity kits and sleeping mats, which are required as large number of people have been rendered homeless.”

India had last week “sought an assessment of the extent of damage from the Lebanese Government” to decide the extent of assistance to Lebanon.