By Spy Uganda
Lebanese President Michel Aoun called for an emergency cabinet meeting on Wednesday and said a two-week state of emergency should be declared following a massive explosion in Beirut that killed at least 100 people and injured 4,000 others.
The explosion on Tuesday sent shockwaves across the city, causing widespread damage as far as the outskirts of the capital.
Officials said they expect the death toll to rise further as emergency workers dig through rubble to rescue people and remove the dead.
The cause of the explosion was not immediately clear. Officials linked the blast to some 2,750 tonnes of confiscated ammonium nitrate that were being stored in a warehouse at the port for six years. Aoun assembled the country’s High Defence Council following the explosion.
Prime Minister Hassan Diab called for a day of mourning on Wednesday.
George Kettaneh, the head of the Lebanese Red Cross, has said at least 100 people were killed and more than 4,000 wounded in the massive explosion in Beirut on Tuesday.
Kettaneh added the toll could rise further, and that the Red Cross was coordinating with the health ministry for morgues to take victims because hospitals were overwhelmed.
Australia Mourns Lebanon Disaster, One National Killed
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison confirmed on Wednesday the death of one Australian after a massive blast ripped through the Lebanese capital, Beirut.
“Our hearts go out to all of those in Lebanon and in Beirut in particular at the moment,” he said, adding that the Australian embassy had been significantly impacted.
The powerful blast in port warehouses near central Beirut storing highly explosive material sent seismic shockwaves that shattered windows, smashed masonry and shook the ground across the Lebanese capital.
Officials said they expected the death toll to rise further as emergency workers dug through rubble to rescue people and remove the dead.
My brother sent me this, we live 10 KM away from the explosion site and the glass of our bldgs got shattered. #Lebanon pic.twitter.com/MPByBc673m
— Abir Ghattas (@AbirGhattas) August 4, 2020
Latest numbers:
45+ deaths
2500+ injured
Hospitals are at full capacity and many are facing electricity cuts.
The wheat silos are completely destroyed.
Aftermath is heartbreaking#Lebanon #Beirut pic.twitter.com/ThpcJ1V454
— Abir Ghattas (@AbirGhattas) August 4, 2020
