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UN Mounts Massive Relief Operation for Beirut Explosion Survivors

Lisa Schlein

   GENEVA - U.N. aid agencies are mounting a huge relief operation to help
   tens of thousands of survivors of the devastating explosion Tuesday
   that ripped through the heart of Lebanon's capital, Beirut.

   Latest reports put the number of deaths at about 150, with more than
   5,000 people injured.

   The United Nations has released millions of dollars from its emergency
   fund. It also has sent search-and-rescue teams to Beirut to find and
   extricate survivors from the rubble, and other staff to assess the
   needs and coordinate relief operations by its affiliated aid agencies.

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