베이루트 폭발에 화난 레바논 시민들, 의회광장서 시위... 경찰, 최루가스로 맞불
More than 200 people are believed to have been killed by Tuesday's devastating explosion in the Lebanese capital, Beirut.
As protests continue for days on the streets of Beirut by people angry with the government's response to the disaster, the resignation of officials have failed to quell the fury.
Oh Jung-hee reports.
Angry protestors are taking to the streets in Beirut, gathering in front of the parliament for the past couple of days... to throw rocks and demand the government end what they call 'negligence.'
One protester says... he spent the first three days after the explosion picking up debris from the streets... and then came out to protest.
"Our first reaction after the explosion was that we wanted to clean, to help the people that had been affected. We cleaned the first day, the second day, the third day and then that's it. We wanted to make our voices heard. What happened is not something new, it's been like this for years, this is unacceptable, it has to end."
The rock-throwing protesters have also broken into government buildings and cordoned-off areas.
Local police fired tear gas to disperse them on Sunday.
Several hundred people have been wounded in these clashes between protesters and the police.
Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron hosted a virtual emergency donor conference on Sunday, with over 30 nations pledging assistance to help Lebanon recover.
"The objective of the conference is to bring our resources together so that we can provide a concrete response to the needs of the population of Beirut."
The participants pledged 298 million U.S. dollars in emergency relief to help Lebanon recover.
President Macron added that the world powers must put aside their differences and support the Lebanese people,... whose country's future he said was at stake.
Two Lebanese government ministers have resigned amid the political fallout of the Beirut explosion and preceding months of economic crisis.
The blast last week killed at least 158 people and left 6-thousand wounded.
Oh Jung-hee, Arirang News.