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At least 25 people have died after a huge explosion in Beirut, while more than 2,500 have been injured, Lebanese health minister Hamad Hasan has said.
Shocking videos from the scene show large plumes of thick smoke rising into the air near former Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s Downtown Beirut residence.
One woman stated that all the buildings in her block had been ‘destroyed’, leaving ‘everyone covered in glass and blood’.
The causes of the explosion is not yet clear, but local TV stations have said it came from Beirut’s port, inside an area where firecrackers are stored. Several videos appear to show smaller explosions going off in the minutes before the large blast.
Lebanese Red Cross official Georges Kettaneh told AP there were ‘hundreds of casualties’ in the capital city, including dead and wounded.
A Lebanese security source confirmed that several bodies had been moved from the area, while nearby hospitals have put a call out for blood donations as they are forced to treat people in the car park.
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I send my heartfelt condolences to all those who are injured in beirut explosion.#Beirut #بيروت pic.twitter.com/64WJhFEc5A
— Wasim Bariوسیم باری (@wasim_dr) August 4, 2020