Smoke rises from an explosion site at the port of Beirut, Lebanon, Aug. 4, 2020.(Xinhua/Bilal Jawich)
Lebanon faces devastation after massive Beirut explosion, killing at least 100 people and wounding thousands.
BEIRUT, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- The explosions in Lebanese capital Beirut have caused at least 100 deaths and left over 4,000 injured, with many more missing, Lebanese Health Minister Hamad Hassan announced on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the Lebanese Red Cross and Civil Defense teams are still looking for survivors through the rubble.
Two huge explosions rocked Port of Beirut on Tuesday, shaking buildings all over the city while causing massive casualties and damage.
Pieces of shattered glasses covered most of the areas in Beirut. Lebanese citizens were seen picking up broken glass from the streets of Beirut.
Photo taken on Aug. 4, 2020 shows a scene after the explosion in Beirut, Lebanon. (Xinhua/Bilal Jawich)
Most of the shops in Beirut's downtown area, which is located near the port, were destroyed.
Primary information reveals that ammonium nitrate stored in a warehouse in Beirut's port for six years may have caused the explosions in Beirut.
"Customs' authorities must be asked about reasons behind storing such chemical materials at Port of Beirut," Interior Minister Mohammad Fahmi said a day earlier.
Damaged buildings are seen after the explosion at the port of Beirut, Lebanon, Aug. 4, 2020.(Xinhua/Bilal Jawich)
The Lebanese cabinet is currently holding a meeting to announce new measures to deal with the current crisis and look into the proposal by the Higher Defense Council a day earlier.
The council on Tuesday declared Beirut as an afflicted city while urging the Lebanese cabinet to announce a state of emergency in the city for two weeks.
It recommended hosting the families whose houses were destroyed in schools, while importing glass and controlling the prices of all materials needed to fix the damaged houses.
Damaged buildings are seen after the explosion at the port of Beirut, Lebanon, Aug. 4, 2020. (Xinhua/Bilal Jawich)
Many countries have expressed solidarity and sympathy with Lebanon over the explosions that have dealt a further blow to the country already plagued by the COVID-19 pandemic and an economic crisis.