Massive blast in Beirut, at least 10 dead
The blast occurred in the city’s port area, where there were warehouses housing explosives, Lebanon’s state news agency NNA and two security sources said. Israel
By IAR Desk
A huge explosion near the centre of Beirut killed at least 10 people, shattering glass in people’s homes and causing apartment balconies to collapse, witnesses and security sources said.
The blast occurred in the city’s port area, where there were warehouses housing explosives, Lebanon’s state news agency NNA and two security sources said. A third security source said there were chemcials stored in the area.
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. Those who filming what initially appeared to be a big blaze where thrown backwards by the shock.
At least 10 bodies were taken to hospitals, reported Reuters. The impact of the blast we’re felt miles away.
It was not immediately clear what caused the blaze that set off the blast or what kind of explosives were in the warehouses. The governor of Beirut port told Sky News that a team of firefighters at the scene had “disappeared” after the explosion.
“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,” a witness told Reuters.
Meanwhile Lebanon’s Al Mayadeen television quoted a defense official as saying the explosion was not caused by a terrorist act, reported Israeli publication Haaretz.
Sources close to Hezbollah quoted by Al Mayadeen denied reports that the explosion was caused by an Israeli airstrike. These reports were not confirmed by any Lebanese or Israeli officials, nor were they carried by mainstream media, the publication further reported.
– With input from agencies
