Beirut explosion: 43 Syrians among those killed in port blast, says Syria’s embassy
Forty-three Syrians were among those who were killed in the deadly Beirut explosion on August 4 that left at least 154 people dead, the Syrian embassy in Lebanon said on Saturday.
More than 5,000 others were injured in the capital when a warehouse storing 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate exploded after catching on fire.
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The blast destroyed entire buildings and shattered windows, leaving around 300,000 people in Beirut homeless.
Videos circulating online showed people rushing to take cover under tables in their homes and ducking into whatever shelter they could find on the streets.
Lebanese activists, angered by the government’s response to the disaster, urged citizens and residents to join protests on Saturday to call for the resignation of those at fault. While Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun has said it’s possible the explosion was the result of an attack, initial investigations point to government negligence for the explosion.
Tuesday’s blast has heightened the country’s economic crisis and ongoing political unrest, which has been exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic.
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