BEIRUT, LEBANON (7:45 P.M.) – Lebanese Health Minister Hamad Hassan said that the explosion that took place at Beirut Port on Tuesday resulted in a large number of injuries and caused great damage.
“The extent of the damage is great and the number of injuries is very high,” the minister said in statements reported by the Lebanese media, adding that he “instructed hospitals to treat the injured at the expense of the ministry.”
In the same context, LBCI quoted the Governor of Beirut, Marwan Abboud, as saying that “Beirut is a devastated city, and there is great destruction and what happened is unprecedented in Lebanon.”
According to a local source, the explosion took place at the Number 12 Ward, with some speculating that it was the location of a fireworks warehouse.
The National News Agency reported that the fire broke out near the wheat silos at the Beirut Port, in a warehouse for firecrackers.