A huge explosion rocked the Lebanese capital Beirut on Tuesday, shaking buildings, shattering windows and sending a huge plume of smoke into the sky, Eye witnesses said.at Least 190 people were killed and 6,000 injured
The death toll from a massive explosion that rocked Beirut on Tuesday has reached 100 and more victims are under the rubble, the head of the Lebanese Red Cross told local broadcasters on Wednesday.
A fire at a warehouse containing explosives at the Port of Beirut led to the explosion, which leveled a three-story building and was heard across the city and its suburbs, according to Anadolu Agency.George Kettaneh told LBCI TV by telephone that the Red Cross was coordinating with the health ministry for morgues to take victims because hospitals were overwhelmed.
President Michel Aoun said that 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, used in fertilisers and bombs, had been stored for six years at the port without safety measures, and he said that was “unacceptable”.
He called for an emergency cabinet meeting on Wednesday.Officials did not say what caused the blaze that set off the blast. A security source and local media said it was started by welding work being carried out on a hole in the warehouse.
“What we are witnessing is a huge catastrophe,” the head of Lebanon’s Red Cross George Kettani told broadcaster Mayadeen. “There are victims and casualties everywhere.”
Following the deadly blast, the Lebanese Supreme Defense Council has declared a state of emergency for two weeks in Beirut. The capital was also declared a "disaster area" due to the incident.ebanese media carried images of people trapped under rubble, some bloodied, after the massive explosion, the cause of which was not immediately known.
Lebanon's Health Minister Hamad Hasan said the explosion had caused a “very high number of injuries” and extensive damage, Lebanese LBC television channel quoted the minister as saying.The loud blast in Beirut's port area was felt across large parts of the city and some districts lost electricity. Preliminary reports by local Lebanese media said the blast may have been the result of an incident at Beirut port.
“Buildings are shaking,” tweeted one resident, while another wrote: “An enormous, deafening explosion just engulfed Beirut. Heard it from miles away”.
Online footage from a Lebanese newspaper office showed blown out windows, scattered furniture and demolished interior paneling.Hours after the blast, which struck shortly after 6pm (1500 GMT), a fire still blazed in the port district, casting an orange glow across the night sky as helicopters hovered and ambulance sirens sounded across the capital.
The blast revived memories of a 1975-90 civil war and its aftermath, when Lebanese endured heavy shelling, car bombings and Israeli air raids. Some residents thought an earthquake had struck.
Dazed, weeping and injured people walked through streets searching for relatives.
“The blast blew me off metres away. I was in a daze and was all covered in blood. It brought back the vision of another explosion I witnessed against the U.S. embassy in 1983,” said Huda Baroudi, a Beirut designer.
The loud blast in Beirut's port area was felt across large parts of the city and some districts lost electricity.
Preliminary reports by local Lebanese media said the blast may have been the result of an incident at Beirut port.
'Buildings are shaking,' tweeted one resident, while another wrote: 'An enormous, deafening explosion just engulfed Beirut. Heard it from miles away'.
Online footage from a Lebanese newspaper office showed blown out windows, scattered furniture and demolished interior panelling.
I saw a fireball and smoke billowing over Beirut. People were screaming and running, bleeding. Balconies were blown off buildings. Glass in high-rise buildings shattered and fell to the street,' said a witness.
Another witness said she saw heavy grey smoke near the port area and then heard an explosion and saw flames of fire and black smoke: 'All the downtown area windows are smashed and there are wounded people walking around. It is total chaos.' Prime Minister Hassan Diab promised there would be accountability for the deadly blast at the “dangerous warehouse”, adding “those responsible will pay the price.”
The U.S. embassy in Beirut warned residents about reports of toxic gases released by the blast, urging people to stay indoors and wear masks if available.
Many Missing
“There are many people missing. People are asking the emergency department about their loved ones and it is difficult to search at night because there is no electricity,” Health Minister Hamad Hasan told Reuters.
Footage of the explosion shared by residents on social media showed a column of smoke rising from the port, followed by an enormous blast, sending a white cloud and a fireball into the sky. Those filming the incident from high buildings 2 km (one mile) from the port were thrown backwards by the shock.
Bleeding people were seen running and shouting for help in clouds of smoke and dust in
