* Over 45 tonnes of essential supplies donated by Qatar Airways employees carried to Beirut
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On Sunday, Qatar Airways carried over 45 tonnes of essential supplies -- already donated by its employees -- from Doha to Beirut. Qatar Airways Group chief executive HE Akbar al-Baker was present to oversee the shipment's departure.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Lebanon during this tragedy. In such difficult times, it has been touching to see so many of our employees at Qatar Airways offering their support to the people of Lebanon through donations," HE al-Baker said. “We are delighted to extend our aid programme to members of the public in Qatar. Today’s freighter is one of three that we will fly to Beirut."
Qatar Airways tweeted that it joined hands with QC and Ali Bin Ali Holding to deliver more than 45 tonnes of essential supplies from Doha to Beirut yesterday. HE al-Baker and Hamad International Airport (HIA) chief operating officer Badr Mohamed al-Meer were joined at the airport by the chargé d’affaires at the Lebanese embassy in Qatar, Farah Berri, while the aircraft was being loaded.
The Regulatory Authority for Charitable Activities (Raca), in co-operation with Qatar Charity and Qatar Red Crescent Society, recently launched a fundraising campaign -- 'Lebanon in Our Hearts' -- aiming to support the brotherly Lebanese people following the disaster that struck the port of Beirut last week.
The campaign aims to collect what the Qatari community provides to the Lebanese people, and turn it into relief materials covering the areas of health, shelter, food, non-food items and reconstruction, according to the official Qatar News Agency. The ‘Lebanon in Our Hearts’ fundraising campaign had raised over QR94mn until Saturday night as Qatari citizens and organisations continued to donate generously with the aim of helping the Beirut blast victims.
His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani had donated QR50mn to the fundraising drive on the first day of the campaign, Friday. Following His Highness the Amir’s directives, urgent medical aid and two fully equipped 500-bed field hospitals were rushed to Lebanon a few days ago to treat the injured in the Beirut port explosion. A technical team from Qatar later began work on assembling and equipping the two field hospitals.
Also, a fully equipped team from the Qatari Search and Rescue Team of the Internal Security Force (Lekhwiya) was sent to Beirut in support of the Lebanese people. One of the field hospitals, located at Al Roum Hospital, is due to receive the injured and those affected by the blast from Tuesday, according to QNA.