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At Least 137 Killed, Injured 5,000 In Beirut Port Blast

The huge blast at Beirut port has killed at least 137 people, left dozens missing, and at least 5,000 wounded, a Lebanese health ministry spokesperson said Thursday.

Lebanese come together for a vigil held at Kensington gardens in central London to honour the victims of the Beirut blast on August 5, 2020. (Photo by Tolga AKMEN / AFP)

A man holds a sign reading “Solidarity with Beyrouth” and a candle on August 5, 2020, in Toulouse, during a gathering to pay tribute to the Lebanese people a day after a powerful explosion tore through Lebanon’s capital, resulting from the ignition of a huge depot of ammonium nitrate at the city’s main port. (Photo by REMY GABALDA / AFP)

Tuesday’s explosion obliterated part of the port and caused damage over a wide radius in the heart of the city, prompting fears the final death toll could yet rise significantly.

Women wearing face masks hold signs reading “History repeats itself as well as the tragedy, Toulouse 2001, Beyrouth 2020” on August 5, 2020, in Toulouse, during a gathering to pay tribute to the Lebanese people a day after a powerful explosion tore through Lebanon’s capital, resulting from the ignition of a huge depot of ammonium nitrate at the city’s main port. (Photo by REMY GABALDA / AFP)

Lebanese come together for a vigil held at Kensington gardens in central London to honour the victims of the Beirut blast on August 5, 2020. (Photo by Tolga AKMEN / AFP)

Lebanese come together for a vigil held at Kensington gardens in central London to honour the victims of the Beirut blast on August 5, 2020. (Photo by Tolga Akmen / AFP)

Lebanese come together for a vigil held at Kensington gardens in central London to honour the victims of the Beirut blast on August 5, 2020. (Photo by Tolga AKMEN / AFP)

-AFP

Angela Davies