Ottobock Beirut relief

After a destructive explosion in Lebanon’s capital city of Beirut left over 6,000 people injured in August, Ottobock sent over 100 wheelchairs and emergency aid to help in the relief effort.

The blast occurred on 4 August when 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored in the port of the city detonated, causing what has been considered one of the most powerful non-nuclear explosions in history.

As a result, 190 people died, with around 6,500 more people injured and some 300,000 people left homeless.

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Following the incident, German-based prosthetics, orthotics and mobility manufacturer Ottobock, together with the Ottobock Global Foundation, sent out aid and equipment immediately to help those affected.

Prof Hans Georg Näder, Owner of Ottobock, commented at the time: “The people need our support quickly now. The majority of the population in Lebanon lives in Beirut. So almost every family is affected by the disaster.”

The effort was coordinated by the Ottobock Global Foundation, who worked with Ottobock and its regional logistics partners to arrange shipment.

Ottobock’s Chief Sales Officer (CSO) Oliver Jakobi commented: “Local medical care is particularly important now. Together with the German logistics partner ZUFALL, our team made it possible to deliver aid in a short time. I would like to thank everyone involved in this.”

Since 2015, the Ottobock Global Foundation has been particularly supporting children and young people in disaster areas.

Discussing how the joint operation would work, Karsten Ley, Ottobock’s Chairman of the Board, explained: “As a first step, the Ottobock site in Königsee will provide wheelchairs that we will ship to Beirut. We will then talk to aid organisations on site to find out to what extent further fittings, especially with prostheses, are necessary.”

The 100+ wheelchairs were shipped from Hamburg and were sent to the port of Tripoli in Lebanon – due to closure of Beirut’s port. From there, the vital medical equipment took 10 days to arrive in the devastated city.

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