The Polish team is waiting for the final go-ahead from authorities before it is deployed to the site in response to Lebanon's call for international help, a spokesman for Poland’s State Fire Service (PSP) said on Wednesday morning.
The team includes 39 rescuers with four sniffer dogs and a “chemical rescue module," about 50 men in total, the spokesman, Capt. Krzysztof Batorski, told reporters.
Polish President Andrzej Duda sent condolences after the powerful blast on Tuesday evening killed dozens of people and injured thousands of others in the Lebanese capital.
A still image grabbed from a mobile phone video and made available by a Twitter user showing the moment of the massive explosion that rocked the harbor area of Beirut, Lebanon, on Tuesday, August 4, 2020. PAP/EPA/@tayyaraoun1
Meanwhile, the Polish Center for International Aid (PCPM), a government-supported humanitarian organisation, has started a fundraiser for the victims of the Beirut blast, which caused massive destruction across the city, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency reported.
The devastating explosion at port warehouses storing highly explosive material killed at least 100 and injured nearly 4,000 in a toll that officials said was likely to rise.
(gs/pk)
Source: IAR, PAP, Reuters