Russian airmobile hospital deployed in blast-shaken Beirut - Emergency Situations Ministry

MOSCOW. Aug 6 (Interfax) - Russian rescuers have deployed an airmobile hospital in Beirut, whose port was hit by a heavy explosion on Tuesday, the press service for the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry told Interfax on Thursday.

According to the press service, another Ilyushin Il-76 ministry plane landed in Beirut at 11:17 a.m. It was the fourth plane sent by the ministry to the Lebanese capital in furtherance of humanitarian assistance.

"The Russian Emergency Situations Ministry has deployed an airmobile hospital in a stadium, and installation of the necessary equipment is being completed. Six canine teams from the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry and over 120 rescuers will be engaged in the work," the press service said.

An informed source told Interfax, in turn, that negotiations are being conducted with Lebanon on the involvement of personnel from the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry in the search-and-rescue operations and the cleanup of debris where more casualties might be found.

As reported earlier, the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry pledged to send four planes to Beirut to deliver an airmobile hospital, doctors, rescuers from the Tsentrospas airmobile unit, and a coronavirus testing laboratory from the Federal Service for Health and Consumer Rights (Rospotrebnadzor).