Port of Beirut Officers Imposed Under House Arrest

Beirut, MINA – Indonesian Ambassador to Lebanon Hajriyanto Thohari said Lebanon had declared a state of emergency for two weeks in Beirut and ordered house arrest for port officials involved in storage of volatile chemicals and resulted in a large explosion that occurred on Tuesday.

The cabinet took the decision when the number of injured wounded rose to 5,000 and carefully examined why authorities allowed 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate to be stored in the city port for six years.

The number of victims from the explosion continued to grow. Hassan Hamad, Lebanon’s Health Minister, said 135 people had been killed and 5,000 injured in a statement reported by local media.

Beirut Governor Marwan Abboud said the blast also left about 300,000 people homeless.

“So far, several countries that have offered assistance, the US, Iran, France. France itself will send an aircraft containing 2.5 tons of sanitary equipment and a mobile clinic that can treat 500 wounded victims, ”said Hajriyanto via text message on Wednesday night.

The explosion had dealt a devastating blow to Lebanon, which was hit by the worst economic crisis in decades. (T/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)