In Beirut, destroyed by a massive Explosion in the port of the Lebanese capital to a large extent. The pressure wave on Tuesday brought in a Radius of several kilometers of the building to collapse. According to the Lebanese health Minister, there were at least 27 Dead and 2500 injured in connection with the Explosion. The health Minister Hassan Hamad told reporters in front of a hospital. The Secretary-General of the Lebanese Red cross, George Kettaneh, told the German press Agency also more than 2000 injured. Local media showed pictures of debris stuck people.
the cause of the accident was initially speculated only. In the area in which the Explosion occurred, to have large warehouses with fireworks found. The force of the Explosion left window burst and a pressed doors, as seen on photos in social networks was. It was also felt in more from the port the remote parts of the city, and have in many places led to power outages, it said. Over the Lebanese capital, a large cloud of smoke rose. In the streets of burnt-out cars were to be seen, many with inflated Airbags.
The Lebanese Minister of health, Hamad Hassan, said a “very large number of people” had been injured by the Explosion. The property damage was large. The Lebanese Red cross announced on Twitter, more than 30 Teams are in use, in order to supply the injured. The Lebanese army helped to bring the injured in hospitals. In front of the Clemenceau hospital, dozens of injured were waiting to be admitted, including several children, the AFP news Agency reported.
a Lot of people were on the streets on the go
According to the British “Guardian” said health Minister Hassan journalists also, a ship with fireworks exploded in the Harbor. Details, he did not, therefore, but. Has not been excluded, first, that stored weapons could be exploded. It is conceivable, moreover, that it could be a politically motivated attack.
Just a few miles away was on the 14th. February 2005 of the former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri by a stop to have been killed, behind the Syria and the Hizbullah are suspected. Before a special court in The Hague is expected on Friday the verdict in the process to the stop. Four alleged members of the Shiite Hizbullah militia are accused of the suicide attack on the Sunni political leaders, in which 21 other people were killed.
The Explosion occurred in the evening rush hour on the first day after a five-day Lockdown. There is another Lockdown before, were on the streets, many people on the road. Only two kilometers from the site of the Explosion, the Parliament and the historical centre of Beirut, rebuilt after the civil war from 1975 to 1990 are. There, the center of protests against the corrupt political class of the country was in the past few months.
Before the Explosion, protesters had tried to end on Tuesday in anger over power cuts, to storm the Ministry of energy. In front of the building, it came to scuffles with the police and the protesters announced a sit-in blockade.
