NICOSIA, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades said on Sunday that Cyprus will offer a financial assistance of 5 million euros (5.89 million U.S. dollars) in addition to the access to the facilities at its ports and airports for assistance transfer to Lebanon after two huge explosions rocked the Lebanese capital Beirut.
Anastasiades was one of state leaders who took part in an international video conference of donors to Lebanon organized by the United Nations and French President Emmanuel Macron.
Cyprus News Agency reported that Anastasiades said that beyond the financial assistance, Cyprus stands ready to place the airports of Larnaca and Paphos and the "Andreas Papandreou" air base, as well as the ports of Limassol and Larnaca, at disposal of the United Nations and of the international community in general, for the transfer of any humanitarian assistance.
According to Anastasiades, five tons of medical supplies collected after a personal appeal he made were sent to Lebanon immediately after the explosion. Another 40 tons of supplies, including medical supplies, generators, clothing and non-perishable foodstuff, collected via public donations will be sent in the next few days.
A three-member team of volunteer doctors flew to Beirut on Sunday, carrying facilities for emergency operations.
A spokesman of the Cypriot Fire Brigade said that the 14-member rescue team, which flew to Beirut with eight sniffing dogs on Aug. 5, one day after the blasts, will return to Cyprus on Monday, following a decision by the Lebanese authorities to discontinue the search for any survivors.
According to the latest data, the two explosions in the port of Beirut on Aug. 4 had claimed at least 158 lives and injured 6,000 others.
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