UPDATE 2 - UN Chief Offers Condolences To Victims Of Beirut Port Explosion

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 05th August, 2020) Antonio Guterres, the secretary-general of the United Nations, has offered his condolences to the victims of Tuesday's massive twin blasts in the Lebanese capital of Beirut, including several UN employees who suffered injuries.

"My deepest condolences to families of victims of the horrific explosions in Beirut, and to the people & Government of Lebanon. I wish all injured, including United Nations personnel, a speedy recovery. The @UN remains committed to supporting Lebanon at this difficult time," Guterres wrote in a Twitter post on Wednesday.

As many as 48 UN employees suffered injuries as a result of the blasts, which originated in the port of the Lebanese capital, Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for the UN secretary-general, told the Al Jazeera broadcaster.

A United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon boat was docked in Beirut's port at the time of the blasts, according to a statement published by the peacekeeping force on Tuesday.

Later in the day, Norwegian Refugee Council Secretary-General Jan Egeland pledged to provide assistance to Syrian and Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, as well as the country's citizens affected by the accident.

"Today we stand with Beirut's people. We will stay & deliver relief to increasingly vulnerable Syrian & Palestinian refugees, & rising numbers of Lebanese in need due to the economic meltdown.

Our immediate concern is the acute needs of families affected by this terrible disaster," Egeland wrote on Twitter.

The president of the European Council, Charles Michel, also said on Wednesday that he had held talks with the Lebanese president Michael Aoun. The EU leader offered his condolences and pledged to provide assistance.

"I just spoke with President Michel Aoun to express my deepest condoleances. Europe stands side by side with #Lebanon in the aftermath of the devastating explosions in #Beirut. In the spirit of solidarity we will do all we can to help the Lebanese people overcome this tragedy," Michel wrote on Twitter.

According to the Lebanese authorities, the blasts were caused by the improper storage of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate. The explosions damaged half of Beirut's buildings and roughly 300,000 people have been made homeless, the city's governor Marwan Abboud has said.

The death toll from the blast currently stands at 135 and roughly 5,000 others have suffered injuries, Lebanon's health minister Hamad Hassan told the Al Jazeera broadcaster on Wednesday evening.