A large blast in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, has killed at least 50 people and injured more than 3,000 others.
It is not yet clear what caused
the explosion in the port region. Below Videos showed a column of smoke
followed by a large mushroom cloud.
Video of First Blast - Column of Smoke
Video of Second Blast - Large Mushroom Cloud
For Live Coverage
Hospitals are said to be
overwhelmed and many buildings have been destroyed.
Lebanon's internal security chief
said the blast happened in an area housing highly explosive materials.
A journalist at the scene
reported dead bodies and severe damage, enough to put the port out of action.
The explosion comes at a
sensitive time for Lebanon, with an economic crisis reigniting old divisions.
Tensions are also high ahead of Friday's verdict in a trial over the killing of
ex-Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in 2005.
Some reports suggest the
explosion may have been an accident. Lebanon's National News Agency reported a
fire breaking out at what it called an explosives depot at the port before the
explosion.
Local media showed people trapped
beneath rubble. A witness described the first explosion as deafening, and video
footage showed wrecked cars and blast-damaged buildings.
President Michel Aoun called for
an emergency meeting of the Supreme Defence Council, the presidency said on
Twitter. Wednesday has been declared a day of mourning, the prime minister
said.
UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab
said the government was "ready to offer help and support" while
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said France was also ready to offer
assistance.
'Glass going down from all over the building'
Hadi Nasrallah, eyewitness
I saw the fire, but I didn't yet
know there was going to be an explosion. We went inside. Suddenly I lost my
hearing because apparently I was too close. I lost my hearing for a few
seconds, I knew something was wrong.
And then suddenly the glass just
shattered all over the car, the cars around us, the shops, the stores, the
buildings. Just glass going down from all over the building.
Literally all over Beirut, people
were calling each other from different areas kilometers away and they were
experiencing the same thing: broken glass, buildings shaking, a loud explosion.
Actually we were shocked because
usually when it happens, just one area will experience those happenings after
an explosion, but this time it was all of Beirut, even areas outside of Beirut.
Shock and anxiety
The videos and images, not just
of the massive cloud of smoke erupting in Beirut but the damage and devastation
it is caused kilometers away, have triggered a new wave of shock and anxiety in
Lebanon, which is already teetering on the brink of a catastrophic economic
collapse.
Just hours before the blast,
anti-government protesters had been scuffling with the security forces outside
the ministry of energy, demanding yet again accountability from the country's
leaders.
There have been grave warnings of
hunger in the streets or a reigniting of sectarian conflict if the economy
worsens.
And the blast will remind many of
the bomb that killed Rafik Hariri. The Lebanese will be hoping that this latest
blast will remain a human tragedy - an accident - and not a premeditated act.
What's the Situation in Lebanon?
Lebanon is experiencing political
turmoil, with street demonstrations against the government's handling of the
worst economic crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war.
Many blame the ruling elite who
have dominated politics for years and amassed their own wealth while failing to
carry out the sweeping reforms necessary to solve the country's problems.
People have to deal with daily power cuts, a lack of safe drinking water and
limited public healthcare.
There has also been tension on
the border with Israel, which said last week that it had thwarted an attempt by
Hezbollah to infiltrate Israeli territory. But a senior Israeli official has
told the BBC that "Israel has no connection" to the Beirut blast.
The blast happened close to the
scene of a huge car bombing which killed ex-PM Rafik Hariri in 2005. Tuesday's
blast also came days before the long-awaited verdict in the trial at a special
court in the Netherlands of four men accused of orchestrating the attack.
