Massive explosion rocks Beirut destroying buildings and ‘leaving people covered in blood and broken glass’
- Lebanon’s health minister has said there are a very high number of injuries
- Middle Eastern country’s media carried images of people trapped under rubble
- Local reports suggested there may have been two blasts within 15 minutes
A massive explosion has rocked Beirut this afternoon, destroying buildings and sending a huge fireball into the sky.
Dramatic footage on social media shows people screaming as an enormous blast rocked the waterside area of Lebanon’s capital city.
Lebanon’s health minister has said there are a very high number of injuries and severe damage.
The Middle Eastern country’s media carried images of people trapped under rubble, some bloodied, after the massive explosion, the cause of which was not immediately known.
Local reports suggested there may have been two blasts – one at the port and one further inland in the city within the space of 15 minutes.
A wounded man walks near the scene of an explosion in Beirut
The loud blast in Beirut’s port area was felt across large parts of the city and some districts lost electricity.
Preliminary reports by local Lebanese media said the blast may have been the result of an incident at Beirut port.
‘Buildings are shaking,’ tweeted one resident, while another wrote: ‘An enormous, deafening explosion just engulfed Beirut. Heard it from miles away’.
Online footage from a Lebanese newspaper office showed blown out windows, scattered furniture and demolished interior panelling.
More follows.
A massive explosion has rocked Beirut this afternoon destroying buildings and sending a huge fireball into the sky
The loud blast in Beirut’s port area was felt across large parts of the city and some districts lost electricity
Dramatic footage on social media shows people screaming as an enormous blast rocks the waterside area of Lebanon’s capital city