EU doubles Lebanon aid to 63 million euros

The European Commission on Sunday added another 30 million euros to the 33 million already announced to help Lebanon after last week's deadly explosion in Beirut.

The latest funding was to "help address the immediate needs of those affected by the deadly explosion in Beirut on 4 August", said a Commission statement

"As needs rise we are providing humanitarian support to hundreds of thousands of the most vulnerable people," commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic said in the statement.

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Commission President von der Leyen put up 33 million euros funding in a phone call Thursday with the Lebanese President Michel Aoun.

The new funding will be channelled to UN agencies, NGOs and international and will be strictly monitored, the statement added.

Lenarcic thanked the EU member states who had already made individual contributions to Lebanon - in the form of money, aid, or teams of specialists to help on the ground.

The Commission's announcement Sunday came as French President Emmanuel Macron hosted an emergency aid conference for Lebanon following last Tuesday's devastating blast in Beirut.

The UN says $117 million euros will be needed over the next three months for the emergency response.