Filipinos injured in Beirut blast now at 47 — DFA
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs on Monday logged an additional five Filipinos injured by the deadly explosions in Lebanon's capital last week.
This brings the running total of Filipinos who were caught in, and subsequently injured by, the Beirut blast to 47.
"We are still thankful that the injuries sustained by our kababayans (countrymen) are not life-threatening. We also thank our Embassy personnel for taking prompt action," Undersecretary Sarah Arriola said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the fatality count among Filipinos caught in the explosions is unchanged at four.
"The DFA prepares to bring home this week the mortal remains of four Filipinos who perished in the blasts. The DFA chartered flight will also repatriate some 400 [overseas Filipino workers] eager to come home to be with their families," the agency's statement read.
Latest numbers show that at least 158 people were killed and 6,000 were injured after two explosions devastated Beirut's port on Tuesday.
According to Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Ed Menez, approximately 33,000 Filipinos are in Lebanon, 75% of whom are in the Greater Beirut area.
250 euros pledged for Lebanon
World leaders on Sunday pledged more than 250 million euros for disaster-struck Lebanon, conference host France said, with the emergency aid to be delivered "directly" to a population reeling from the deadly port blast in Beirut.
Fifteen government leaders including US President Donald Trump took part in the virtual conference hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron and the UN, pledging solidarity with the Lebanese people and promising to muster "major resources" in the coming days and weeks.
A joint statement issued after the meeting in which representatives of nearly 30 countries as well as the EU and Arab League participated, did not mention a global amount.
But Macron's office said the total figure of "emergency aid pledged or that can be mobilised quickly" amounts to 252.7 million euros ($298 millon), including 30 million euros from France.
Macron was the first world leader to visit the former French colony after Tuesday's devastating explosion of a huge stockpile of ammonium nitrate which killed more than 150 people, wounded some 6,000 and left an estimated 300,000 homeless.
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told ZDF broadcaster that "more than 200 million euros of emergency aid have been collected," including 20 million euros from Germany. — Bella Perez-Rubio with AFP
The powerful explosions that rocked the port of Beirut on Tuesday left "people dead and injured", the Lebanon's National News Agency reports
Georges Kettaneh, the president of the Lebanese Red Cross, referrs to "hundreds of wounded" in a statement on Lebanese LBC television, adding: "We are overwhelmed by phone calls."
Lebanon’s Prime Minister Hasan Diab has declared Wednesday a day of mourning, and President Michel Aoun called for "urgent" defence council talks. — AFP
The Lebanese judge leading an investigation into last year's devastating Beirut port blast was forced to suspend his work Tuesday after what human rights groups condemned as an attempt by politicians to evade justice.
It is the second time that judge Tarek Bitar has had to suspend the probe in the face of lawsuits filed by former ministers he had summoned on suspicion of negligence, and it comes amid growing calls from top officials, including Hezbollah chief Hasan Nasrallah, for him to be replaced.
Bitar's predecessor, Fadi Sawan, was forced to suspend his probe for the same reason before he was finally removed in February in a move widely condemned as political interference. — AFP/Rouba El Husseini
Lebanese leaders have promised to form a new government within two weeks, visiting French president Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday after talks with political blocs who designated a new prime minister a day earlier.
"What I have asked for, what all political parties without exception have committed to this evening right here, is that the formation of this government will not take more than 15 days," Macron said in a speech.
He said the cabinet would be comprised of "competent personalities" and would be an "independent" entity with the backing of political parties. — AFP
UN human rights experts on Thursday demanded a swift, independent investigation into the catastrophic Beirut explosion, citing deep concern about irresponsibility and impunity in Lebanon.
The group also called for a relatively-rare special debate at the United Nations Human Rights Council this September.
UN experts do not speak for the United Nations but report their findings to it. — AFP
The massive blast at Beirut port on August 4 caused more than $15 billion in damages, Lebanese President Michel Aoun says.
"Preliminary estimates of the losses suffered following the port explosion top 15 billion dollars," he was quoted as telling Spain's King Felipe in a phone call, in a message on the presidency's Twitter account. — AFP
The death toll from Beirut's massive August 4 explosion has climbed to 171, a health ministry spokesman told AFP on Tuesday.
The new figure, up from 160, came exactly one week since the mega-blast ravaged swathes of the Lebanese capital, wounding more than 6,000 and temporarily displacing 300,000 people from their homes. — AFP
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