A massive explosion hit Central Beirut, Lebanon, on Tuesday, resulting in the death of over 10 persons and leaving many others wounded.
The explosion, which erupted at the port in Beirut according to local media, started with a fire.
Nearby houses and cars were hit by the resulting shockwave from the explosion.
Lebanon’s Health Minister, Hamad Hasan, said the explosion in central Beirut caused a “very high number of injuries” and extensive damage, Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International (LBCI) reported.
Reuters quoted sources as saying 10 bodies had been pulled from the wreckage.
Beirut governor, Marwan Abboud, inspected the explosion site at the Beirut port, revealing that contact was lost with a number of firefighters, who rushed to the scene to extinguish the fire.
Abboud said that Beirut city was stricken, adding that what happened was unprecedented.
Videos shared on social media showed a burst of flames as it engulfed houses and nearby buildings.
Meanwhile, the United States of America has said it would be “monitoring closely” the explosion in Beirut.
Alyssa Farah, the White House Director of Strategic Communications, tweeted that President Donald Trump had been briefed about the explosion.
“Praying for the safety of the people of Lebanon. The President has been briefed. We continue to monitor the situation closely,” she posted on Twitter.
