According to seismologists, the explosion in the port of Beirut was comparable to 4.5 magnitude earthquake. The city suffered colossal damage, destruction affected at least half of the city. On August 5, the authorities declared the Day of Mourning.
The Lebanese Red Cross said more than 100 people were killed in explosion, Sky News Arabia reports.
According to the representative of the international organization, this is not the final figure: not all of the victims have been recovered from the rubble.
More than 4,000 people were wounded; they were admitted to the morgues, as city hospitals are overwhelmed.
In addition, several foreigners are among the dead and wounded. The Philippine Foreign Ministry reported two citizens killed and another six injured. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison reported one Australian killed. The German Foreign Ministry reported several employees on the territory of its embassy in Beirut were wounded. The German Embassy in Lebanon is located near the port where the explosion took place. Two members of the Belgian diplomatic mission and two members of their families, as well as a high-ranking Cypriot diplomat were injured.
In addition, 48 UN peacekeepers, 27 members of their families and three of their guests were reported as wounded. The organization’s Interim Force mission in Lebanon was docked in the harbor and damaged.
To the security forces of Lebanon, the explosion occurred at the time of welding. Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab said that the explosion occurred due to the storage of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate in a warehouse in the seaport of the capital for six years. At the same time, the explosive substance was stockpiled there without any preventive measures and posed a threat to citizens’ safety.
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