Brussels releases €33 mln in emergency aid for Lebanon

The European Union released €33 million to finance emergency aid for Lebanon and mobilised material resources to help with relief efforts in Beirut following the massive explosion that killed hundreds and wounded thousands in Beirut.

The cause of the explosion was not immediately clear, but officials said the site of the blast in the port area of the city was housing highly explosive materials. Up to a quarter of a million people have been left homeless as a result of the blast.

The Commission said the aid should make it possible to cover the immediate needs of the emergency services and hospitals in Beirut.

“We invite you to intensify your support to Lebanon both on the immediate needs, but also with a view to the longer-term reconstruction of the country,” President Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel, the president of the European Council, said in a letter to the EU’s 27 members.