Beirut explosion: Death toll rises to 135, over 5000 injured

The Lebanese government has declared a two-week state of emergency, effectively giving the military full powers in the capital, after two huge explosions on Tuesday killed at least 135 people and injured around 5,000.

Lebanese prime minister Hassan Diab said the cause of the explosion was 2,700 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, a common industrial chemical used in fertiliser and as a component in mining explosives.

An initial investigation has reportedly found years of inaction and “negligence” around the removal of the ammonium nitrate is to blame for the blast.

The European Union has activated its civil protection system to round up emergency workers and equipment from member states. Governments worldwide have sent support, including Kuwait, Norway and Australia.

Beirut’s governor, Marwan Abboud, has said the damage from the port blast has extended over half of the city, with the cost of damage likely above $3bn.

Rescuers have continued to search for victims who remain trapped under rubble. In one video shared on Wednesday, a search team can be heard clapping and cheering as a survivor is pulled to safety.

Residents, desperate to reach their loved ones, are sharing pictures of missing relatives, as well as phone numbers online.

Hospitals, several of which were damaged in the blast, have been inundated with patients. In Gemmayze district, medical teams were forced to triage patients in a car park, while the Red Cross said it is coordinating with the Lebanese health ministry to set up morgues.

Aerial images from the scene of the explosion illustrate the impact of the blast, which destroyed crucial silos that contained around 85% of the country’s grain. Lebanon’s economy minister, Raoul Nehme, said the wheat in Beirut’s port granaries cannot be used and that the ministry lost track of seven employees in the granaries. The Guardian UK