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Explosions in Beirut: "between 3 and 5 billion dollars" of damage, estimates the governor of the capital

2020-08-05T11:16:25.309Z


Almost half of the Lebanese capital is destroyed or damaged, explained Marwan Abboud in the aftermath of the disaster.


In the aftermath of the two catastrophic explosions that devastated Beirut, the governor of the capital of Lebanon Marwan Abboud estimated the cost of the damage at more than three billion dollars.

Read also: Before the explosion of Beirut, the former "Switzerland of the Middle East" was already bloodless

" I took a tour of Beirut, the damage can amount to between three and five billion dollars, " the governor told AFP this Wednesday at midday, specifying however that he was awaiting an assessment. experts and engineers. In 2019, Lebanon's GDP was $ 53.367 billion.

Almost half of Beirut is destroyed or damaged, ” he explained, with 250,000 to 300,000 people becoming homeless. According to a latest provisional assessment from the Lebanese Red Cross, the explosions left more than 100 dead and 4,000 injured and rescuers are still working to try to find victims.

Economic support

Lebanese President Michel Aoun has announced 100 billion Lebanese pounds (55 million euros) in emergency funding, as the country is already in the throes of an unprecedented economic collapse and hospitals are already overwhelmed. due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Read also: The port of Beirut devastated, Lebanon loses an essential source of food

Before Tuesday's disaster, residents of Beirut were already facing food shortages in shops and power cuts. Lebanon is experiencing its worst economic crisis in decades, marked by unprecedented currency depreciation, hyperinflation, massive layoffs and drastic banking restrictions. Last March, the country experienced the first default in its history, on an astronomical debt.

On Wednesday, the Lebanese National Defense Council declared Beirut a " disaster " area and Lebanese Prime Minister Hassane Diab called on Lebanon's allies to " support " the country. France, the United States, Qatar and Iran have offered to help. Israel also offered Tuesday evening " humanitarian and medical aid " to its Lebanese neighbor, with whom it is technically still at war.

French President Emmanuel Macron announced, on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday on Twitter, the dispatch of a detachment of civil security and medical equipment to Beirut. On Wednesday, the Minister of the Armed Forces, Florence Parly, specified that " two military planes - an A400M Atlas and an A330 Phénix - take off today to deliver French aid to Lebanon ". France will also send a third humanitarian assistance plane this Wednesday to Beirut, announced the French Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian. In total, “ more than 20 tons of material ” will be sent “ to support the Lebanese in the face of this tragedy ”.

In April 2018, France pledged at the CEDRE conference to release $ 11 billion in loans and grants to develop infrastructure and public services in Lebanon. On July 23, Jean-Yves Le Drian recalled the urgency of the implementation by the country of structural reforms in return for the release of any significant financial aid.

Source: lefigaro

All news articles on 2020-08-05

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