At least 30 killed, several injured in Lebanon’s Beirut explosions

BEIRUT: Two huge explosions near the center of Beirut killed at least 30 people and sending shockwaves across the Lebanese capital on Tuesday.

As per details, Lebanese media carried images of people trapped under rubble, many bloodied, after the massive blasts in the port area, the cause of which was not immediately known. The explosions “caused several of injuries”, a security official said.

Footage of the blast shared around by residents on social media showed a column of smoke rising from the port district followed by an enormous blast. 

An AFP reporter at the scene said every shop in the Hamra commercial district had sustained damage, with entire shopfronts destroyed, windows shattered and many cars wrecked.

Injured people were walking in the street, while outside the Clemenceau Medical Centre, dozens of wounded people, many covered in blood, rushing to be admitted to the center, including children. Destroyed cars had been abandoned in the street with their airbags inflated.

https://twitter.com/mhijazi/status/1290672477883043840

The area was cordoned off by the security forces, permitting access only to a string of ambulances, fire trucks, and people whose relatives were working inside the devastated area.

According to locals, the blasts were heard as far away as Nicosia on the eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus, 240 kilometers (150 miles) away.

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.”

Friend just forwarded me this video of the explosion, not sure who is filming but this this is awful #Beirut pic.twitter.com/jMgDc8qBIZ

— Jasmine M. El-Gamal (@jasmineelgamal) August 4, 2020

While Talking to media security officials said at least 25 bodies were taken to hospitals. The Lebanese Red Cross said hundreds of people were taken hospitals for treatment.

However, It was not immediately clear what caused the blaze that set off the blast or what kind of explosives were in the warehouses.

Lebanese President Michel Aoun called for an emergency meeting of the country’s Supreme Defence Council, according to the presidency’s Twitter account.

الرئيس عون دعا المجلس الاعلى للدفاع الى اجتماع طارئ مساء اليوم في قصر بعبدا

— Lebanese Presidency (@LBpresidency) August 4, 2020

The head of the Lebanese Red Cross said 100 people who were injured in the blast were taken to hospitals but many remain trapped in homes damaged by the explosion.

George Kettaneh told local media there was no exact figure of how many were injured as many were still trapped in homes and within the area of the blast. Others were being rescued by boat.

Lebanese broadcaster LBCI quoted Hotel Dieu Hospital in Beirut as saying that was treating more than 500 injuries and was not able to receive more.