Relief donations reach Beirut on vessel, chartered flight

The first batch of foodstuffs donated by the Cyprus public as relief for the people of Beirut, whose lives were overturned by the deadly blast in a port area on August 4, arrived on the Greek ferry ‘Ikaria’ on Tuesday night and is set to be unloaded on Wednesday.

The collection of dry and canned food for the people of Lebanon began on August 7 and will continue until August 14 in specified collection points in all Cyprus districts.

‘Ikaria’ had initially sailed for Beirut on August 9, boarded by medical staff of the Greek Armed Forces and other medical supplies.

On August 11, the vessel docked at Limassol Port where it was loaded with the first batch of some 70 tonnes of dry foods and medical supplies donated by Cyprus businesses and individuals, with the ferry departing for Beirut on the same day.

Company charters flight for transport of aid to Beirut

An islandwide relief campaign for the people Beirut launched by courier service company Aramex saw the Cyprus public rush to donate essential items, with the campaign collecting some 20 tonnes, 10 of which were loaded onto the ‘Ikaria’ vessel, while the remaining 10 tonnes were transported to Lebanon on a Cyprus Airways flight chartered by the company.

The campaign was launched last Wednesday through a social media post that called on the public to bring essential items, including foodstuffs and clothes, to any Aramex office across the island.

On Wednesday morning, a chartered flight carried 10 tonnes of collected donations to Beirut’s Rafic Hariri airport, including powder milk and diapers for babies, sugar, oil, water, flour, and pasta.

Upon arrival in Beirut, the flight’s cargo will be delivered to three large NGOs operating in Lebanon, while the flight will then be offering free transportation to any Cyprus nationals wishing to return to the island.