Lebanon remains in mourning following a massive explosion that ripped through Beirut on Tuesday, which killed at least 100 people and injured 4,000 more.
Lebanon, which is already suffering in the midst of an economic crisis, the city continues to deal with the aftermath of the explosion that took place on Tuesday.
Yesterday, rescue teams continued searching through the rubble and remains of their neighbourhoods in search of missing victims as hospitals struggled to cope with the thousands of casualties being brought in.
A Lebanese Red Cross official commented on Wednesday morning, saying that the death toll had reached at least 100. The head of Lebanon’s Red Cross, Georges Kettaneh, told a local broadcaster: “What we are witnessing is a huge catastrophe… There are victims and casualties everywhere.”
A two-week state of emergency has been declared by the president following heavy criticism from authorities who have blamed a huge store of the highly reactive chemical ammonium nitrate for the explosion, a common industrial chemical used in fertiliser and as a component in mining explosives.
Yesterday, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab told reporters that Britain will transfer up to £5 million to Beirut. He said: “Obviously we want to make sure we’ve got exactly what is tailored towards the Lebanese needs, that is why I’ve just spoken to the [Lebanese] prime minister”.
