Update – News

Lebanon: at least 73 killed as huge explosion rocks Beirut

Two huge explosions have rocked Beirut, killing at least 73 people, injuring thousands more, and sending an enormous blast wave across the city that shattered windows, knocked down doors and shook buildings.

Hundreds of homes were left uninhabitable after the blasts ripped through a section of the Lebanese capital’s port.

Thousands of people sought treatment in nearby hospitals, which were struggling to cope with the casualties. Cars were left strewn across the surrounding highway, and the blast was heard up to 80km (50 miles) away in the country’s north. The health ministry put the confirmed death toll at at least 73, with at least 3,700 injured.

Beirut explosion: at least 78 dead and 4,000 wounded, says Lebanon health ministry – live updates

 Read more

“God help us from all these catastrophes,” said Mamdouh, 25, a caterer who lost his job in June. “If this was an accident, as they’re saying, it’s the worst you could ever imagine. This was like a nuclear bomb. What have we done to deserve this?”

Hours after the explosion, which took place at 6.05pm (16.05 BST), the cause remained unclear. Israel denied responsibility and said it had offered humanitarian and medical aid.

“Talk of fireworks is ridiculous,” said Ibrahim. “There are no fireworks but rather highly explosive material, and I can’t foretell the investigations … it seems the explosion happened in a warehouse of highly explosive material that was confiscated years ago.”

Lebanon’s prime minister, Hassan Diab, declared Wednesday a national day of mourning and vowed accountability for those responsible, claiming there had been warnings about hazardous material stored at the port going back to 2014.

Meanwhile, the Israeli government said its forces had not carried out an attack. “Israel has nothing to do with the incident,” an Israeli security official told Reuters on condition of anonymity. Israel’s foreign minister, Gabi Ashkenazi, told Israeli N12 television news that the explosion was most likely an accident caused by a fire.

The Beirut port is known to be used by the militant group cum political bloc Hezbollah, which denied any of its facilities had been hit.

The final death toll from the biggest explosion to ever rock Beirut is expected to be significantly higher than the figures given in its immediate aftermath.

“This country is cursed,” a young man passing by said.

source the guardian