Beirut is still bidding farewell to the victims of the port explosion that shook the city two weeks ago.
On Thursday, the family and friends of Elias El-Khoury, 15, who succumbed to his wounds, escorted him for the last time to his school where a ceremony was held in his memory.
Meanwhile, the Beirut Bar Association announced the establishment of the National Coordination Commission to help those affected by the explosion.
The head of the association, Melhem Khalaf, said that the commission - created in cooperation with the syndicates of engineers, contractors, the Industrialists Association and others - had the primary goal of rebuilding Beirut.
He explained that its mission was to implement a comprehensive plan for the recovery of the city, in coordination with all the bodies currently working on the ground, and to receive and distribute in a transparent and effective manner in-kind or financial assistance received from Lebanon or abroad.
Khalaf also announced the setting up of a field operations room with a dedicated hotline to facilitate the communication between the different donors and associations working on the ground.
He praised “the tremendous work carried out by the Lebanese army” and its support to the Commission’s efforts.
