A large blast in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, has killed at least 78 people and wounded more than 4,000 others, the health minister says.
A massive explosion at a warehouse in the port sent a shock wave through downtown Beirut at about 6 p.m. local time on Tuesday. The force of the blast did huge damage to the surrounding neighbourhoods and nearby buildings, tearing off balconies and shattering windows. It blanketed the city in debris and ash for miles around.
Officials are charging highly explosive entities stored in a warehouse for six years.
President Michel Aoun tweeted it was “unacceptable” that 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate were stored unsafely.
Nizar Najarian, the Secretary-General of the Kataeb party has reportedly been killed.
“There are many people missing until now,” Health Minister Hamad Hasan said, according to Reuters. “People are asking the emergency department about their loved ones and it is difficult to search at night because there is no electricity. We are facing a real catastrophe and need time to assess the extent of damages.”
A council statement, read live on television, said President Michel Aoun has decided to release 100 billion Lebanese pounds ($66m) in emergency allocations from the 2020 budget.
A two-week state of emergency has been declared in Beirut, the city is now “devastated city” according to the High Defense Council.
Officials said they predicted the death toll to rise further after Tuesday’s blast as emergency workers dug through rubble to rescue people and remove the dead. It was the most powerful explosion in years to hit Beirut, which is already reeling from an economic crisis and a surge in coronavirus infections.
Sound of Beirut port explosion was heard in Cyprus, 243Km from the area of the explosion.
