Beirut explosion – latest news: Lebanon declares state of emergency as over 300,000 left homeless and at least 135 dead following blast
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Lebanon’s cabinet has declared a two-week state of emergency in Beirut following a huge explosion at the city’s port which sent shock waves across the capital on Tuesday, killing at least 135 people and injuring thousands.
Marwan Abboud, Beirut’s governor, said more than 300,000 citizens had been left unable to sleep in their own homes due to the explosion, which is thought to have been caused by 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate that was stored unsafely at the port for six years.
It came as ministers agreed to place Beirut’s port officials under house arrest until responsibility for the disaster has been determined and documents revealed custom officials had warned of the “serious danger” posed by the chemical stockpile years before the explosion yesterday.
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Livestream footage shows terrifying moment for priest
A video has emerged which shows a priest delivering mass in a church in Beirut as the explosions hit the city on Tuesday.
A few seconds into the footage, the priest can be seen dashing away from the spot where he had been standing in an attempt to get out of the collapsing building.
The camera then falls to the floor.
It is unclear whether the priest was injured in the blast.
Royal Navy should be mobilised to support reconstruction in Beirut, senior Tory says
The chairman of the Commons Foreign Affairs Select Committee has said that the Royal Navy should be used to support reconstruction efforts in Beirut.
Speaking to the BBC's World at One programme, MP Tom Tugendhat said it was “extremely worrying” to see Beirut in “such a rocky road”.
"We need to try and get the Royal Navy and other naval assistance in to reopen the port as quickly as possible so that we can get food and fuel and medical supplies in,” he added.
Beirut explosion appears to be ‘catastrophic regulatory failure’, expert says
The explosion in Beirut on Tuesday appears to have been the result of “catastrophic regulatory failure” over the storage of ammonium nitrate, an expert has said.
Andrea Sella, a professor of inorganic chemistry at UCL, said poorly-stored ammonium nitrate was “notorious for explosions”, with past examples occuring in Germany, China and the US state of Texas.
“Explosions are typically detonations that cause huge damage due to the supersonic shockwave, which is clearly visible in the videos,” Professor Sella said.
“Detonation of ammonium nitrate does not require additional fuel but is often set off by an initial fire which then causes the bulk material to blow.
“The orange plume above the explosion site is due to nitrogen dioxide, the toxic air pollution gas, and is a tell-tale sign of a nitrate-based explosion.”
Lebanon’s president and prime minister have suggested that more than 2,700 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored at Beirut port were responsible for the blast.
Professor Sella added: “This is a catastrophic regulatory failure because regulations on the storage of ammonium nitrate are typically very clear.
“The idea that such a quantity would have been left unattended for six years beggars belief and was an accident waiting to happen.”
Lebanon’s main grain silo destroyed, leaving country with less than one month’s reserves
Lebanon's main grain silo at the port was destroyed in the explosion yesterday, putting an estimated 85 per cent of the country’s grain supplies at risk.
The Lebanese government has sought to reassure fears over the food supply, a top concern in a country where some 80 per cent of the wheat is imported and which is also hosting over one million Syrians displaced by civil war there.
Drone footage shot on Wednesday by the Associated Press showed the blast tore open the silo building, dumping its contents into the debris and earth thrown up by the blast.
Raoul Nehme, the economy and trade minister, said all the wheat stored there was contaminated and unusable, leaving the nation with less than a month’s wheat reserves.
However, Mr Nehme insisted Lebanon had enough wheat for its immediate needs and would import more, according to the state news agency.
More than 300,000 people homeless after blast, Beirut’s governor says
Beirut’s governor has said more than 300,000 people have been displaced from their homes following the explosion in Beirut on Tuesday, according to Jordan’s state-owned channel Al Mamlaka.
“There are more than 300,000 Lebanese citizens unable to sleep in their own homes,” Marwan Abboud told the channel.
“Half of Beirut's population have homes that are unliveable for the foreseeable future - for the next two weeks.”
Norway to offer £2m in aid to Lebanon over blast
Norway has said it will offer 25 million kroner (£2.1m) and 40 tonnes of medical equipment to Lebanon to help Beirut recover from the explosion yesterday.
“The situation is pretty confusing right now. In the coming days we will know more about what is needed in the long-term need,” Ine Eriksen Soereide, Norway’s foreign minister, told reporters on Wednesday.
She added that the Norwegian Embassy in Beirut suffered damage in the explosion but that all staff members were safe.
There was also no indication of Norwegian citizens being injured in Tuesday's blast, which has killed at least 100 people.
The video footage below shows a man who was rescued from under rubble in Beirut today after being trapped for more than 16 hours.
BREAKING: Lebanon to place Beirut port officials under house arrest
Lebanon's cabinet has agreed to place all of Beirut’s port officials who were responsible for storage and security since 2014 under house arrest.
The army will oversee the house arrest until responsibility is determined for the huge explosions that devastated the city, ministerial sources told Reuters.
More on this breaking story as it comes in can be found below:
Unicef concerned over possibility of children being among casualties
Unicef has said it is concerned about the possibility of children being among the casualties in Beirut after yesterday’s explosion and is working to provide drinking water to staff at the city’s port.
“Unicef is concerned that children are among the casualties and we are aware that those who survived are traumatised and under shock,” the agency said in a statement.
“Our hearts are with children and families who have been impacted, especially those who lost their loved ones. We wish a speedy recovery to the injured.”
It added: “Unicef’s team in Beirut has not been spared. One of our colleagues lost his spouse, seven of our staff were mildly injured and dozens of personnel’s homes were damaged.
“Most of our staff - as are most people in Lebanon - are in a state of shock.”
The charity is also providing “psycho-social support” to affected children in the city and will work to reach families in need of support over the coming days.
The Queen has also issued a message of condolence to Lebanon over the blast:
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