Turkey is ready to help rebuild the port of Beirut, which was destroyed by a massive blast on Aug. 4, Turkish Vice-President Fuat Oktay said during a visit to Lebanon on Aug. 8.
Turkey’s port of Mersin, on the Mediterranean, is ready to assist the port of Beirut, he said.
All of Turkey’s hospitals and air ambulances are at the service of Lebanon, Oktay also noted.
Oktay and Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu met Lebanese President Michel Aoun, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Hassan Diab.
A fire at a warehouse at the Port of Beirut led to a huge blast, causing massive material damage in several neighborhoods of the capital.
At least 154 people were killed and around 5,000 others injured in the tragic incident.
The Lebanese government announced the formation of an investigation committee to probe the blast within a period of five days.
The blast rocked Lebanon while the country is experiencing its worst economic crisis, including a dramatic drop in the value of the Lebanese pound against the U.S. dollar.
On Thursday, a Turkish military plane carrying aid and a search and rescue team arrived in Beirut.
The aircraft was carrying 21 National Medical Rescue personnel, two emergency units, three tents, medicine and medical equipment, 10 Disaster and Emergency Management Authority personnel, a search and rescue vehicle, three Turkish Red Crescent personnel, a search and rescue team as well as medical and humanitarian aid.
