Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab announced that his country has become afflicted by the explosion that occurred at the Beirut port today, Tuesday, at a time when Health Minister Mohamed Hassan revealed that 4 hospitals were out of service.
Diab said - in a speech to him directly over the air hours after the explosion - that "Lebanon is all afflicted today," and described the situation in his country as "a disaster", "a catastrophe" and "a disaster".
Diab said, "It is a difficult ordeal that can only be used in the face of national unity, and that all Lebanese from all walks of life and regions come together."
The Lebanese Prime Minister vowed to what he described as "responsible for the disaster", and said that what happened today will not pass without a price "This is a promise to the martyrs and the wounded", and added that there will be facts that announce this warehouse that has been in existence since 2014, but he stressed that he will not prejudice the results of the investigation .
Diab warned that the time is now to deal with the disaster and to bite the martyrs and the wounded, and added, "Lebanese, we have suffered a disaster, but I am confident that we will deal with it responsibly in order to win our martyrs and heal our wounds and the wounds of the nation."
The Prime Minister of Lebanon sent an urgent appeal to all friendly and brotherly countries to stand by Lebanon and help it overcome the catastrophe.
Health status
For his part, Lebanese Health Minister Mohamed Hassan revealed that 4 hospitals were out of service, as a result of being damaged by the big explosion that occurred in the capital Beirut on Tuesday evening.
Hassan confirmed - in contact with the island - that 8 medical personnel and 10 patients in Al-Roum Hospital were killed by the bombing, and that the hospital was completely discharged as a result of the damage done to it.
He said that the 12 hospitals in Beirut are full of the wounded, pointing out that there are directives to take out light and medium injuries, to make way for severe cases.
According to the Lebanese Minister of Health, the number of victims of the bombing is still preliminary, pointing out that the outcome (as of 10:00 pm Beirut time) reached 40 dead and 2,500 wounded.
He cautioned that there are several establishments where parts were destroyed and electricity was cut off, which makes the number of victims and injured people likely to rise.
Hassan pointed out that the Lebanese President, Michel Aoun, received the first call after the disaster from the Emir of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who announced that the capabilities of the State of Qatar were at the disposal of Lebanon.
He emphasized that his country would receive aid from the State of Kuwait, as it had requested urgent assistance from the World Health Organization, and mentioned that contacts had been received for his country from Syria to transport injured people to its hospitals.