Lebanon's Capital Rocked by Massive Explosion
Massive explosions rocked downtown Beirut on Tuesday, flattening much of the port, damaging buildings and blowing out windows and doors as a giant mushroom cloud rose above the capital.
Witnesses saw many people injured by flying glass and debris.
An Associated Press photographer near the port saw people lying injured on the ground and hospitals called for blood donations.
Exact casualties were not immediately known.
Miles from the scene of the blast, balconies were knocked down, ceilings collapsed and windows were shattered.
The cause of the blast was not immediately clear. It comes at a time when Lebanon is going through its worst economic and financial crisis in decades.
It also comes amid rising tensions between Israel and the militant Islamic Hezbollah group along Lebanon’s southern border.
Online video showed a column of smoke rising from the port area from what appeared to be an initial explosion, followed by a massive blast that sent up a mushroom cloud.
Some local TV stations reported the blast was at Beirut’s port inside an area where fireworks were stored.
The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior to publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards.
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