More than 100 people have died and at least 4,000 were injured following a major explosion in Beirut port from causes still under investigation, a Health Ministry source said.
A Health Ministry spokesman, who requested anonymity, confirmed by phone the number of dead and injured, which have left hospitals in the Lebanese capital full of injured people.
The explosion took place in the afternoon in a warehouse with explosive material after a fire with causes as yet unknown. Eyewitnesses indicated that there was glass breakage in homes more than five kilometres away from the explosion and that buildings were damaged in various ways within a radius of more than two kilometres.
Images broadcast on social networks showed the moment of the detonation, which caused a large mushroom cloud to rise in the sky and a strong shock wave to affect several neighbourhoods in the city, causing material damage.
What the hell is this? Extensive explosions with an unmatched impact, you can see.
May Allah protect people of #Beirut pic.twitter.com/8Nvs3RQk38— Asma Shirazi (@asmashirazi) August 4, 2020