Lebanese President Michel Aoun called for an emergency cabinet meeting on Wednesday and said a two-week state of emergency should be declared following a massive explosion in Beirut that killed at least 78 people and injured 4,000 others.

The explosion on Tuesday sent shockwaves across the city, causing widespread damage even on the outskirts of the capital.

Officials said they expected the death toll to rise further as emergency workers dug through rubble to rescue people and remove the dead.

The cause of the explosion was not immediately clear. Officials linked the blast to some 2,750 tonnes of confiscated ammonium nitrate that were being stored in a warehouse at the port for six years.

Aoun assembled the country's High Defence Council following the explosion.

Prime Minister Hassan Diab called for a day of mourning on Wednesday.

Source: Al Jazeera News

BDST: 1153 HRS, AUG 05, 2020
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