Saudi Arabia, Algeria to send humanitarian aid to Lebanon after deadly Beirut blast

Moscow/Algiers/Beirut, August 6 (Sputnik/ANI): Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has ordered emergency assistance to be sent to Beirut in solidarity with Lebanon to help the latter cope with the consequences of Tuesday's powerful explosion in the capital city's port, state news agency SPA reported.
Along with Riyadh, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has also been inclined to send urgent assistance to Beirut after a phone conversation with his Lebanese counterpart, Michel Aoun, Tebboune's office said.
Four Algerian aircraft with food packages, necessary medical equipment and groups of doctors aboard are preparing to leave for Beirut, according to the office.
Algeria will also send a ship carrying construction material to help Lebanon rebuild the sites that the blast destroyed, the statement read.
Meanwhile, rescue groups from the European countries, Arab states and Russia continue to arrive in the Lebanese capital to help the latter deal with the blast's implications, according to Sputnik.
Around 50 relief personnel from the Netherlands, including specialists with rescue dogs, have arrived at the Beirut international airport on a red-eye flight.
According to one of the Dutch rescue staff members, the country's teams will stay in Lebanon for 10 days to help search for people buried in the rubble.
"If our further help is not required, we will leave," a Dutch relief team member told Sputnik.
Alongside the Dutch teams, three Russian emergency aircraft out of five, planned to be sent to Lebanon, have already landed at the Beirut airport in a bid to provide support to the country's authorities in the wake of the massive explosion.
Russian rescue staff with a mobile hospital and search dogs, as well as medical personnel who are able to undertake complex surgical procedures, have arrived, Sputnik reported.
Middle East states such as Iran, Qatar, Kuwait and Iraq, have also already assisted Lebanon by sending medical and humanitarian aid. Meanwhile, several European countries have expressed their readiness to provide Beirut with financial support in connection with the large-scale destruction of the city's residential areas due to the explosion.
The Lebanese capital was severely hit by the massive explosion late on August 4, with at least 137 people being killed and some 5,000 others injured, according to the latest data provided by the country's Health Ministry. Many are still missing.
Several buildings in the city have been damaged, and hospitals are overcrowded due to a large number of blast victims. According to the authorities, the incident was caused by the improper storage of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate. The Lebanese government has announced a three-day mourning period for the victims of the tragedy starting on Wednesday. (Sputnik/ANI)