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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Amnesty International calls for independent investigation into blast
Amnesty International is calling for an independent international investigation into the cause of the blast in Beirut.
Responding to yesterday’s devastating explosion, Julie Verhaar, acting secretary general of Amnesty International, also urged other countries to increase humanitarian aid to Lebanon.
She said: “The horrific scenes in the aftermath of the explosion yesterday were devastating for a country already suffering under the strain of multiple crises. Our thoughts are with the victims and their families at this tragic time.
“Whatever may have caused the explosion, including the possibility of a large amount of ammonium nitrate stored unsafely, Amnesty is calling for an international mechanism to be promptly set up to investigate how this happened.
“Amnesty also calls on the international community to urgently increase humanitarian aid to Lebanon at a time when the country was already struggling with the severe economic crisis, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The organisation said it believed an international investigation, free from any potential domestic political interference, was necessary to ensure truth, justice, and reparations for victims.
The explosion in Beirut has left behind a huge crater measuring around 200 metres across.
Images of the aftermath showed a huge crater at the site of the blast.
It measured some 200 meters across and filled with water – as if the sea had taken a bite out of the port.
Dominic Raab promises Lebanon £5m support package
Foreign secretary Dominic Raab promised a £5 million support package for Lebanon following the devastating Beirut blast.
Mr Raab said he had spoken to Lebanon's prime minister Hassan Diab and pledged to "stand by the Lebanese people in their time of need".
The foreign secretary said the support would include "search and rescue, humanitarian assistance up to £5m, as well as expert medical support".
A Royal Navy survey ship could also assist in assessing the damage to Beirut's port, he added.
Raab 'not sure on' number of UK nationals caught up in blast
Dominic Raab said he was not sure on the precise number of UK nationals caught up in the Beirut explosion.
The foreign secretary said: "We are not sure on the precise figures in relation to UK nationals there, we will obviously want to bottom out that in the days ahead.
"Obviously we have a consular team there which are monitoring that very carefully."
Speaking outside the Foreign Office, he added: "We are ready and now poised to deliver medical experts, humanitarian aid of £5 million, search-and-rescue experts.
"We have also got a Royal Navy survey ship in the area which can be deployed to help assess the damage to the port.
"All of that is ready to go, obviously we will make sure we have got exactly what is tailored towards the Lebanese needs."
Lebanon Tribunal postpones verdict over 2005 bombing
The Special Tribunal for Lebanon has postponed its verdict in the trial over the 2005 bombing that killed former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri to 18 August, following the explosion in Beirut.
The United Nations-backed court located outside The Hague, Netherlands, was due to give a verdict this Friday in the trial of four men who are accused in the deaths of Hariri and 21 others.
The verdict has been delayed "out of respect for the countless victims of the devastating explosion that shook Beirut on 4 August, and the three-days of public mourning in Lebanon," the court's registry said in a statement.
The country had been bracing for the verdict in the case of the men charged with planning and arranging the bombing 15 years ago.
The four defendants, who are not in custody and are being tried in absentia, are linked to Lebanon's Shia Islamist group Hezbollah.
Lebanese PM has promised 'rigorous' investigation into blast, says Raab
Dominic Raab said a "full, thorough and rigorous" investigation had been promised by the Lebanese prime minister.
The foreign secretary spoke to Hassan Diab today to discuss the blast in Beirut's port.
He told reporters: "He has been very clear with me that there will be a full, thorough and rigorous investigation to get to the truth - I think the people of the Lebanon deserve no less - and that there will be full accountability, subject of course to the results and the outcome of that investigation."
Tel Aviv projects Lebanese flag on to city hall
Tel Aviv has lit up its city hall with the Lebanese flag in solidarity with the people of Beirut after Tuesday's devastating explosion, despite Israel and Lebanon technically still being at war.
Tel Aviv mayor Ron Huldai said "humanity takes precedence over every conflict, and our hearts are with the Lebanese people following the horrible disaster that befell it".
The move has drawn an outcry from some in Israel, which fought a month-long war in 2006 against Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
Current and former politicians criticised the decision to project the Lebanese flag, while Yair Netanyahu, the prime minister's son, also spoke out on Twitter, calling it "simply insane".
He added: "Lebanon is officially an enemy state. By law, it is a criminal offence to fly an enemy flag." No such law exists in the Israeli legal code.
Time is running out. Every hour the bulldozer spends clawing at the patchwork quilt of rubble, the rescuers know the chances of finding anyone alive shrinks, Bel Trew reports from Beirut.
Hope ran high at daybreak when exhausted volunteers in central Beirut pulled out two women from the snarl of debris alive.
By noon they had dug a 30ft hole in the mound that was once a Bougainvillea bedecked old Lebanese villa off Beirut’s popular bar street.
At least one American death, US embassy says
At least one American citizen was killed in the explosion and several more were injured, the US embassy in Beirut said.
"We offer our sincerest condolences to their loved ones and are working to provide the affected US citizens and their families all possible consular assistance," the embassy said.
"We are working closely with local authorities to determine if any additional US citizens were affected."
The embassy says all of its employees are safe and accounted for after the massive emplosion at Beirut's port on Tuesday.
Additional reporting by Associated Press
Economic and food security situation
The World Food Program says it is quickly assessing the situation in Lebanon to be ready to provide emergency support for those who were left "homeless overnight, lost loved ones, were injured or anyone who needs assistance in these difficult times."
The UN humanitarian organisation said the explosion and port damage "will exacerbate the grim economic and food security situation" in Lebanon, noting that the country's economic crisis was already being compounded by the coronavirus pandemic.
It also expressed concern the damage to Beirut's port "would push food prices beyond the reach of many."
The organisation cited a recent World Food Program survey that found that 50 per cent of Lebanese saying over the past month they "felt worried they would not have enough food to eat."
It also tweeted a message of support to Lebanon earlier today:
Additional reporting by Associated Press
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