George Clooney and Amal Clooney are sending support to Beirut.
Two days after a massive explosion occurred in the Lebanese capital on Tuesday, Aug. 4, a rep for the A-list couple tells E! News in a statement that they have pledged $100,000 to a number of Lebanese charities. Amal was born in Beirut and raised in the U.K.
“We’re both deeply concerned for the people of Beirut and the devastation they’ve faced in the last few days,” George and Amal shared. “Three charitable organizations we’ve found are providing essential relief on the ground: the Lebanese Red Cross, Impact Lebanon, and Baytna Baytak. We will be donating $100,000 to these charities and hope that others will help in any way they can.”
Local news organization LBCI reported that at least 5,000 people were injured in the blast and that at least 135 were killed. Dozens were also deemed missing.
At this time, the exact cause of the explosion remains unclear. However, President Michel Aoun said an investigation into the blast would reveal the circumstances of what happened as soon as possible and that the results would be publicly shared. According to CNN, Prime Minister Hassan Diab said an estimated 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate had been stored in a port warehouse for six years “without preventative measures.”
After the news broke, several celebrities shared messages on social media. Janet Jackson posted a message that read “Beirut in our hearts” and captioned it, “My prayers to everyone in Beirut, Lebanon.” Kim Kardashian also tweeted, “Pray for Beirut.”