The European Union (EU) on Sunday pledged 30 million euros (35.4 million U.S. dollars) in additional funding for the Lebanese people after a devastating explosion hit the capital Beirut last Tuesday.

The pledge, made at the international conference on assistance and support to the Middle East country, was meant to help address the immediate needs of those affected by the explosion, said the European Commission in a press release.

The amount was on top of the 33 million euros initial aid offered by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in her phone call on Thursday with Lebanese President Michel Aoun.

"In these critical hours, the EU is providing shelter, emergency healthcare, water and sanitation, and food assistance," said EU Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic, who represented the Commission at the conference on Sunday.

Some 300 experts from the EU and its member states have been deployed on the ground in Lebanon, providing help in search and rescue, chemical assessment and medical treatment.

Many foreign workers and truck drivers are still missing and assumed to be among the Beirut port warehouse blast casualties, complicating efforts to identify the victims, Beirut province's governor said on Sunday.

Syria's government has said that around 45 of the more than 158 people confirmed killed in the blast were Syrian nationals. Syrians comprise the most significant foreign labor force in Lebanon, working in construction, agriculture and transport sectors.

Lebanese environment minister and information minister have all resigned, according to local media reports. Many Lebanese MPs have also submitted their resignations due to the explosion.

European Council President Charles Michel on Sunday urged an independent investigation into the cause of the deadly explosion.

(With input from agencies)