BEIRUT: After a successful treatment trip in Kuwait, four of the victims of the August 15 tragic fuel tank explosion in Lebanon returned home on board a Kuwait Airways plane Thursday. "We are grateful to the Kuwaiti Amir and people," Lebanese Minister of Health Firass Abiad said upon receiving the returning compatriots at the Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport. The Lebanese minister voiced appreciation to Kuwait's backing to the Lebanese people at all times of distress.
Meanwhile, Deputy Ambassador of Kuwait in Lebanon Abdullah Al-Shaheen noted that the four were flown to Kuwait from nearly one and a half months ago and had received medical care in Kuwait's hospitals upon directives from His Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. Following the blast, the Kuwait Red Crescent Society announced contributing to the costs of hospitalizing the victims and the Kuwaiti government sent a plane to transport six of the seriously injured victims to Kuwait to get required care. At least 31 people were killed and 80 others were injured in the fuel tank explosion which took place in the town of Tleil in the Lebanese northern district of Akkar.
Separately, Beirut International Airport in Beirut received a Kuwaiti airplane carrying three tons of baby formula as a gift from the Kuwaiti people to the Lebanese people. The humanitarian aid was delivered to the Lebanese Women's Organization for Care and Social Communication, under the supervision of the Kuwaiti Embassy in Lebanon, represented by First Secretary Yassin Al-Majed. In a statement to the press, Group Captain Rakan Al-Zamanan said that the shipment was carrying baby formula, which is urgent relief for Lebanon, provided by the 'Qawafil Association for Relief and Development' in cooperation with the Kuwaiti Ministry of Defense.
He also noted that this relief is part of what the Kuwaiti army is doing to support Lebanon under these circumstances. Kuwait was one of the first countries to rush to provide a humanitarian aid to Lebanon immediately after the explosion of Beirut Port in August 2020 through an air bridge, which transported through 18 Kuwaiti planes more than 820 tons of needs to the Lebanese people. - KUNA