Lebanon is in mourning after a massive blast rocked its capital Beirut Tuesday, with death toll rising to at least 100 people and injured more than 4,000. Death toll injuries expected to rise as teams are still conducting search and rescue operations in the surrounding areas.
The capital Beirut was shaken by the devastating blast which began with a fire at the port before exploding into a huge smoky cloud.
Initial reports indicate that 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate had been stored unsafely in a warehouse for six years.
Lebanon President Michel Aoun convened an urgent cabinet meeting Wednesday and declared a two-week state of emergency. He also added that the country will observe an official period of mourning for three days from Wednesday.
President Aoun also announced that the government would release 100 billion lira (£50.5m; $66m) of emergency funds even at a time the country is facing economic crisis, struggling to contain the global coronavirus pandemic.
Lebanese officials noted that an investigation was under way to find the exact trigger for the explosion. Lebanon’s Supreme Defense Council said those responsible would face the “maximum punishment” possible.
The ammonium nitrate had reportedly been unloaded from a ship impounded at the port in 2013, and then stored in a warehouse there. The massive blast occurred just after 18:00 (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday. Local and international media at the scene reported dead bodies and severe damage, people trapped beneath rubble describing the explosion as deafening, enough to put the port of Beirut out of action.
Video footage showed wrecked cars and blast-damaged building kilometers away indicating the huge intensity of the blast. Hospitals were said to be overwhelmed and many buildings were destroyed.
The massive blast happened close to the scene of the huge car bombing which killed ex-PM Hariri. The Tuesday’s explosion also came days before the long-awaited verdict in the trial at a special court in the Netherlands of four men accused of orchestrating the attack.
(Developing Story)
