Chinese peacekeepers deliver emergency medical help in Lebanon after Beirut port explosion kills 135

Chinese President Xi Jinping sends a message of condolence to Lebanese President Michel Aoun, expressing sorrow over the loss of life

Death toll expected to rise and Beirut mayor estimates 300,000 people were made homeless by the blast

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The massive explosion in Beirut on Tuesday flattened much of the city’s port, damaging buildings across the capital and sending a giant mushroom cloud into the sky. Photo: AP

Published: 5:00pm, 6 Aug 2020Updated: 11:35pm, 6 Aug 2020

Chinese peacekeepers will provide medical aid to Beirut following the deadly explosion on Tuesday that killed at least 135 people and injured 5,000 others.

Upon the request of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), the 18th batch of Chinese peacekeeping troops to Lebanon organised an emergency team of nine medical personnel from fields including surgery, internal medicine, burns and anaesthesiology, state news agency Xinhua reported on Wednesday.

Smoke rises after an explosion in Beirut, Lebanon, on Tuesday. Photo: Karim Sokhn/Instagram via Reuters

The personnel and vehicles would head to Beirut, carrying medical supplies and protective equipment, the medical unit said.

The medical team of the 18th batch of Chinese peacekeeping troops to Lebanon is composed of 30 people. They were due for rotation, with 15 already returned to China and the remaining 15 expected to return on August 18.

In China’s 18th batch of peacekeepers to Lebanon, the 410 personnel performed duties including mine clearance, engineering construction, medical help and humanitarian rescue.