Huge explosions in Lebanon's Beirut kill 10, injure hundreds; watch

Photo: Reuters

Beirut: Huge explosions rocked Beirut on Tuesday (August 4, 2020) and killed at least 10, and injured hundreds as glass shattered and balconies collapsed from the impact, Reuters witnesses said.

Lebanon`s state news agency NNA and two security sources said the blast had occurred in the port area where there are warehouses housing explosives. It was not immediately clear what caused the blast or what kind of explosives were in the warehouses.

"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," said a Reuters witness.

My God. Lebanon economy collapsing and now this massive explosion. Beirut port (and a lot more, from the looks of it) utterly destroyed. Can’t imagine the human toll we are going to see. pic.twitter.com/vljWYftJWE — ian bremmer (@ianbremmer) August 4, 2020

Fireworks explosion?! I felt like I’m dying, I still can’t believe it #Lebanon #Beirut pic.twitter.com/EMTS470FOH

— Ahmad M. Yassine | أحمد م. ياسين (@Lobnene_Blog) August 4, 2020

Local broadcaster LBC quoted the health minister as saying there was a "very high number" of injures and a large amount of damage. Al Mayadeen television said hundreds were wounded.

Another Reuters 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."

Lebanon`s internal security chief Abbas Ibrahim said that a massive blast in Beirut`s port area occurred in a section housing highly-explosive materials, and not explosive as had been reported earlier by the official state news agency NNA.

Speaking to reporters in televised remarks, he declined to speculate about the cause of the explosion in Lebanon`s capital, saying "we cannot preempt investigations".

(This is a developing story)