
AMN / WEB DESK
Search and rescue operations are going even as more than a hundred people are still missing after a huge explosion devastated the port area of the capital Beirut on Tuesday.
The blast killed at least 100 people and injured more than 4,000 others.
The whole city was shaken by the explosion and a mushroom cloud could be seen spreading over the port area.
President Michel Aoun said the blast was caused by 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored unsafely in a warehouse.
Ammonium nitrate is used as a fertiliser in agriculture and as an explosive.
The explosion sent shockwaves that shattered windows, smashed masonry and shook the ground across the Lebanese capital. Videos show smoke billowing from a fire, then a mushroom cloud following the blast at the city’s port. Hospitals are said to be overwhelmed and many buildings have been destroyed. The blast was heard 240 km away on the island of Cyprus in the eastern Mediterranean.
Officials are blaming highly explosive materials stored in a warehouse for six years. President Michel Aoun said, it is unacceptable that 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate was stored unsafely.
An investigation is under way to find the exact trigger for the explosion. Lebanon’s Supreme Defence Council said those responsible will face the maximum punishment possible.
President Aoun has declared a three-day mourning and said the government will release 66 million dollar as emergency funds.
Indian Embassy in Lebanon is in touch with the Indian community. The Embassy has also shared its helpline numbers with the Indian community.
The explosion comes at a sensitive time for Lebanon, with an economic crisis reigniting old divisions. Tensions are also high ahead of Friday’s verdict in a trial over the killing of ex-Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in 2005.