Suspect arrested for banking fraud totaling SR493 million as Nazaha pursues corruption charges    Arab leaders and heads of state congratulate US President-elect Donald Trump    Neymar suffers muscle tear, out for 4-6 weeks    Crown Prince, Pakistan Army Chief discuss ways to enhance military cooperation    Crown Prince aspires to strengthen strategic US-Saudi ties in call with Trump    Crown Prince hails Saudi medical team that performed world's first fully robotic heart transplant    Prince Badr signs MoUs with Al-Qasabi and Al-Falih to empower entrepreneurs and boost investments in cultural sector    Quality of life of Madinah residents and enriching visitor experience highlighted in Cairo event    Trump sweeps to historic victory as swing states turn red    Heavy Equipment and Truck Show to spotlight Tata Motors' cutting-edge mobility solutions    IKEA Alsulaiman opens Madinah store as part of an ambitious expansion plan in the Kingdom    Trump's claim of 'massive cheating' in Philadelphia rejected by officials    China is building new villages on its remote Himalayan border    Netanyahu fires Israeli Defense Minister after months of clashes over war and politics    Al Nassr secures 5-1 victory over Al Ain to edge closer to knockout stage    Top climber falls to death after rare Himalayan feat    Al Ahli extends perfect start with 5-1 victory over Al Shorta    Mitrovic's hat-trick leads Al Hilal to 3-0 victory over Esteghlal    Quincy Jones, titan of US music, dies aged 91    Hidden sugars in Asia's baby food spark concerns    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Filipino pilgrim's incredible evolution from an enemy of Islam to its staunch advocate    Muted Eid celebrations for millions of Nigerian Muslims    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



As Beirut rescuers search for survivors, UN warns of ‘huge' needs
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 07 - 08 - 2020

Across Lebanon, "the needs are immediate, and they are huge" in the aftermath of the explosion that destroyed Beirut city port, UN agencies said on Friday.
According to the latest reports, at least 156 people have been killed and thousands wounded, but that figure is likely to rise, as search for survivors is continuing.
World Health Organization spokesperson Christian Lindmeier said that many people are still missing and that hospitals are overwhelmed.
Three facilities are "non-functional" and two more have been partially damaged, he told journalists via videoconference in Geneva, adding that the disaster took a total of hospital 500 beds out of action.
"The immediate focus now is on the trauma care and the search and rescue of course still, that's very important, there are still people under the rubble and there are still people alive under the rubble from what we can see from the media reports; and that is the first priority now, and of course bringing in supplies, food, the shelter also, medicines, medical equipment for trauma situations but for all the other diseases that cannot be treated now in hospitals", he said.
Amid concerns about the potentially harmful dust created by the explosion of some 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate, the WHO spokesperson noted that the Lebanese health ministry had reported a decrease in toxicity level two hours after the blast.
The most pressing priority is to get assistance to the most vulnerable, including those requiring emergency medical help from hospitals already overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients.
This task has become even more challenging in that many shipping containers carrying personal protective equipment needed for the pandemic response were lost in the blast.
"What we know so far is that 10 containers of PPE material that was procured by the ministry of public health have been destroyed", said UNICEF spokesperson Marixie Mercado. "These contained hundreds of thousands of masks, gloves, gowns, all critical for the response. We have already placed orders to replace some of this material and we have prioritized the delivery of pre-existing orders of PPE for Lebanon now".
To ensure immediate ongoing help, WHO has appealed for $15 million.
The homes of at least 80,000 children had been damaged in the blast, Mercado continued, noting that many houses were now without water or electricity.
At the same time, COVID-19 cases have spiked, she added, with a record 255 infections registered on Thursday.
To date, Lebanon has seen 70 COVID-19 deaths and 5,672 cases in total, while the areas around the blast site are among the most active clusters of transmission.
"It is impossible for those affected to practice safe distancing and there is a desperate need for masks, but for most people right now COVID-19 is not top of mind", the UNICEF official said, in an appeal for an initial $8.25 million for the emergency response.
Also assisting in the response, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said it feared that several of the casualties "may also include refugees living in Beirut".
In total, Lebanon hosts 1.5 million people displaced by conflict, many from neighboring Syria.
"Some of the areas severely affected by the powerful blast included neighborhoods that hosted refugees", said UNHCR Spokesperson Charlie Yaxley.
"We have received initial, yet unconfirmed reports of several deaths among refugees in Beirut. We work with the rescue teams and other humanitarian workers to help with identification and support to grieving families".
Initial assessments indicate that hundreds of thousands of people have had their homes destroyed or damaged, creating a "massive" need for shelter, the agency believes.
"UNHCR is making available its in-country stocks of shelter kits, plastic sheets, rub-halls, and tens of thousands of other core relief items including blankets and mattresses for immediate distribution and use", Yaxley said.
In a bid to boost the UN's health response to COVID — and now to Tuesday's disaster — the Geneva-based agency has provided medical supplies and equipment, ventilators, and patient beds.
"A second phase is being expedited in light of the saturation of hospitals", said Yaxley. "This support will help decrease the pressure on the currently overwhelmed hospitals and allow more patients to be treated promptly".
In a related development, the World Food Programme announced that it will import wheat flour and grain to help boost food security across Lebanon as the country works to rebuild Beirut port, where huge cereal silos were destroyed.
Announcing the move on Friday, the UN agency said it is in "close" discussions with authorities to coordinate the emergency response.
Already providing cash and food programs in Lebanon, WFP also offered to help with logistical and supply chain expertise.
The move comes amid concerns that the explosion will worsen an already grim food security situation that has coincided with a profound financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic.
A recent WFP survey found that food has become a major source of concern in Lebanon since the lockdown, with one-in-two people worried about not having enough to eat.
To help some of the most vulnerable, the agency is allocating 5,000 food parcels for blast-affected families.
Each food package is enough to feed a family of five for one month, with basic food items such as rice, chickpeas, tuna, salt and tomato paste.
Highlighting the dire situation affecting Lebanon's people even before Tuesday's disaster, the UN human rights office (OHCHR) urged the international community "to step up" and help the country "at their time of crisis".
"With large swathes of the city unfit to live in, the country's principal port all but destroyed and the health system on its knees, the situation is dire", OHCHR Spokesperson Rupert Colville said.
Just a month ago, High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet warned that amid a longstanding economic and political crisis and the effects of the COVID pandemic, Lebanon was "fast spiraling out of control".
She urged the government and others to enact urgently needed reforms, Colville said, while also calling on the authorities to address needs, such as shelter, food, electricity, health and education.
Any investigation into the disaster must be fast, impartial and thorough, the OHCHR spokesperson continued, and it should also satisfy the "anger" of all those affected toward the Lebanese Government, he insisted, referring to the public mood during French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to the blast site on Thursday.
Underscoring that the investigation must satisfy the public, he maintained: "It's important to be fast, it's equally important to be thorough, impartial and transparent – not necessarily international".
Some elements have been "aired" extensively, Colville continued, in reference to the apparent origins of the ammonium nitrate that exploded, "how it got there" and "why it's been in that warehouse for seven years". — UN News


Clic here to read the story from its source.