News 5 August 2020
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Update: More Than 100 Dead & Thousands Injured After Huge Explosion In Beirut

5 August 2020
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The death toll from a blast in Beirut, Lebanon yesterday (August 4) has passed 100 with over 4,000 people being wounded.

Officials in the country are claiming the blast came from highly-explosive materials, such as ammonium nitrate, which were stored in Beirut’s port area for 6 years.

Lebanese President, Michael Auon, has tweeted that it was “unacceptable” that 2,570 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, a fertiliser which can be used for bomb-making, was stored unsafely.

Many buildings have been destroyed as a result of the blast, with many hospitals being overwhelmed by the number of people being admitted with injuries from the explosion.

An investigation has been launched to find the exact cause of the blast.

Our initial report of the incident from yesterday evening (August 4) can be seen below:

The Lebanese health minister has said at least 10 people have died after a large blast rocked the capital of Lebanon, Beirut.

Footage posted on to social media shows the moment a building exploded, sending shockwaves across the country.

It is not yet clear what caused the explosion but footage has also emerged online of a large mushroom cloud.

It has also been reported that hundreds of people have been injured with many still being trapped in their homes.

Fady Roumieh – a local who witnessed the explosion as he stood 2km east of the blast – said: “(It was) like a nuclear bomb. The damage is so widespread and severe all over the city.

“Some buildings as far as 2km are partially collapsed. It’s like a war zone. The damage is extreme. Not one glass window intact.”

The explosion in Beirut comes amid Lebanon’s worst economic crisis in decades.

It also comes as the country is experiencing rising tensions between Militant group, Hezbollah, and Israel on Lebanon’s southern border.