Lebanon's President Michel Aoun (centre) wears a protective face mask as he visits the site of a massive explosion in Beirut on Wednesday. AFP

International aid in the form of emergency workers and medical personnel is heading to Lebanon a day after a massive explosion devastated Beirut’s port. Egypt has opened a field hospital in Beirut to receive the wounded.

Russia's emergency officials say the country will send five planeloads of aid to Beirut. Russia’s Ministry for Emergency Situations will send rescuers, medical workers, a makeshift hospital and a laboratory for coronavirus testing to Lebanon.

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France says it is sending two planes with dozens of emergency workers, a mobile medical unit and 15 tonnes of aid. French President Emmanuel Macron’s office says the aid should allow for the treatment of some 500 victims.

French President Emmanuel Macron speaks at a meeting. File photo

Jordan says a military field hospital including all necessary personnel will be dispatched, according to the Royal Court.

France

France will send two military planes to Lebanon on Wednesday with search and rescue experts, 15 tonnes of sanitary equipment and a mobile clinic equipped to treat 500 people injured in Tuesday's monster blast at Beirut port, the presidency said.

The planes will leave from Charles de Gaulle airport outside Paris around midday (1000 GMT) to arrive in Beirut late afternoon with 55 civil security personnel on board, it said. 

A destroyed silo at the scene of an explosion at the port in the Lebanese capital Beirut. AFP

Lebanese soldiers search for survivors after a massive explosion in Beirut, Lebanon. AP

The scene of an explosion near the port in the Lebanese capital Beirut. AFP

People wait to receive help outside a hospital following an explosion. AFP

People sit on the pavement as medics walk past outside a hospital following an explosion. AFP

Wounded people near the site of an explosion. AFP

A wounded man lies on the ground following of an explosion at the port of the Lebanese capital Beirut. AFP

A helicopter puts out a fire at the scene of an explosion. AFP

A damaged hospital is seen after a massive explosion in Beirut, Lebanon. AFP

A security guard stands before an injured man lying on the ground amidst debris along a street following an explosion. AFP

A dozen emergency personnel will also be sent to Beirut shortly "to reinforce hospitals in the Lebanese capital," said the presidency.

President Emmanuel Macron called his Lebanese counterpart Michel Aoun on Tuesday to express France's support for the Lebanese people and promising a dispatch of French aid.

French peacekeepers stationed in Lebanon, a former French protectorate, have been helping since the explosions, Macron’s office said.

The 55 French rescuers being deployed on Wednesday are specialists in post-disaster rubble clearing and rescue, said the Elysee, adding France was working to "identify additional needs" on the ground in Beirut.

Turkish aid group

Turkey's Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) is among those searching for survivors in Beirut after a massive blast in the city killed more than 100 people and injured over 4,000, and Ankara has offered to build a field hospital and help as needed.

 Vehicles drive past damaged buildings and cars following Tuesday's blast in Beirut's port area, Lebanon. Reuters

"We've relayed our offer to help" including immediate work on the hospital, and "we are expecting a response from the Lebanese side," a senior Turkish official told Reuters.

Members of the IHH group were digging through debris to look for people and recover bodies, and the group mobilised a kitchen at a Palestinian refugee camp to deliver food to those in need, said Mustafa Ozbek, an Istanbul-based official from the group.

"We are providing assistance with one ambulance to transfer patients. We may provide help according to the needs of the hospital," he said.

Czech Republic

Czech Interior Minister Jan Hamacek says Lebanon has accepted an offer to send a team of 37 rescuers with sniffer dogs to Beirut. Denmark says it is ready to provide humanitarian assistance to Lebanon, and Greece says it is ready to help Lebanese authorities "with all means at its disposal.”

9:45am.

Agencies