Musician The Weeknd donates $300,000 to Beirut relief efforts as country reels from explosion

Canadian musician The Weeknd has joined thousands of others who have donated towards aid for Beirut in the wake of twin explosions that caused 171 deaths and destroyed half of the capital city.

The singer made a sizeable donation, $300,000 to Global Aid for Lebanon to help the victims of two explosions on 4 August which occurred as a result of over 2,700 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored incorrectly at a warehouse by the port.

The singer’s manager, Wassim Slaiby announced the donation on social media and thanked Live Nation for an additional donation of $50,000.

Slaiby and his wife Rima Fakih, both from Lebanon, donated $250,000 to the fund.

“I am so honored and humbled to work with artist’s who have such deep care for the world and right now for our brothers & sisters of Lebanon who are in pain and need our collective help,” Slaiby wrote on Instagram, under a picture he uploaded with The Weeknd.

“I want to thank my brother @theweeknd for his generous and class act of donating $300,000 to the Global Aid for Lebanon campaign.

“Also, I want to give a special thank you to Michael Rapino @michaelrapino and my Live Nation family for $50,000 donation. Give what you can and let’s repost so the world can come together to help Lebanon from this this devastating tragedy.”

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Relief organisations and non-profit groups have been leading the charge for reconstruction and raising money for the city, which suffered billions of dollars in damages.

Aid groups heaving with volunteers work hard to offer relief, support, and housing as the country reels from one of the worst disasters in its recent history.

Seismologists measured the event, which blew out windows at the city's international airport nine kilometres (more than five miles) away, as the equivalent of a 3.3-magnitude earthquake.

The scale of the destruction was such that the Lebanese capital resembled the scene of an earthquake, and aid workers and volunteers are working overtime to help those in need.

"We’ve had some dark days in Lebanon over the years but this is something else," said Rami Rifai, a 38-year-old engineer, speaking to AFP from a hospital where his two daughters were receiving treatment after sustaining cuts despite being half a kilometre from the seat of the blast.

"We already had the economic crisis, a government of thieves and coronavirus. I didn't think it could get worse but now I don't know if this country can get up again. Everyone is going to try to leave. I will try to leave," he said.

There are countless organisations supporting the city in this dark time.