Geneva, Aug. 7, (dpa/GNA) – The massive explosion in Beirut destroyed the homes of between 80,000 and 100,000 children, according to a preliminary estimate by the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
More than 120 schools in the Lebanese capital were damaged and need to be repaired quickly before the start of the new school year, UNICEF spokeswoman Marixie Mercado told a UN press conference in Geneva.
“The [humanitarian] needs are immediate, and they are huge,” she said.
World Food Programme (WFP) spokeswoman Elizabeth Byrs warned that the explosion in Beirut’s harbour could further limit food supplies and increase retail prices in the country that is already suffering from an economic crisis as well as Covid-19.
GNA