The number of victims of the Beirut port explosion this evening rose to 72 dead and 4000 wounded, including members of the international peacekeeping forces.
The Minister of Public Health, Hamad Hassan, announced in a statement today, Tuesday, that "the number of martyrs in the explosion that rocked Beirut reached 73 martyrs, adding that the wounded have become 4 thousand."
Dozens of people are still missing from the explosion.
And the UNIFIL spokesperson (UNIFIL) in Lebanon Andrea Tenenti issued a statement about the explosion in Beirut, announcing that "as a result of the massive explosion that rocked the Beirut port this evening, one of the UNIFIL ships belonging to the UNIFIL Maritime Force, which was anchored in the port, was damaged." As a result, a number of naval peacekeepers were wounded - some of them seriously. "
UNIFIL is moving the wounded peacekeepers to the nearest hospitals for medical treatment, according to the Lebanese National Media Agency.
UNIFIL is also assessing the situation, including the extent of the impact on the personnel of the force. "
"We stand with the people and government of Lebanon during this difficult period and stand ready to provide assistance and support," said UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander General Stefano Del Cole.
In a speech earlier this evening, Prime Minister Hassan Diab appealed to the "friendly countries to stand by Lebanon - to smile - the wounds of their people."
Diab described what happened as "a catastrophe that we can only overcome with determination and determination."
"What happened today will not pass without an account, and those responsible for this disaster will pay the price, and this is a promise to the martyrs and the wounded," he added.
On the other hand, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants Charbel Wahba received a series of phone calls from his counterparts in a number of countries, who expressed their country´s solidarity with Lebanon after the massive explosion in Beirut ?? According to a statement issued by the Presidency.
The Minister of Health described what happened in the disaster in the full sense of the word.
On the other hand, President Aoun received, on Tuesday evening, a phone call from the Emir of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, according to a statement issued by the Presidency of the Republic.
The Emir of the State of Qatar expressed his readiness to put all the capabilities of the emirate at the disposal of the Lebanese to help them in this difficult circumstance, and to contribute to stand by them to overcome the repercussions of this disaster at all levels.
The Emir of the State of Qatar expressed his sorrow for the incident in the capital Beirut this afternoon, and offered his condolences to the victims who died as a result, wishing the speedy recovery of the wounded.
On the other hand, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants Charbel Wahba received a call from his Cypriot counterpart, during which he put his country´s capabilities at the disposal of Lebanon to confront the repercussions of the catastrophic explosion that shook Beirut, according to the official Lebanese National Information Agency.
The agency added that Minister Wahba is following through the Lebanese embassy in Paris contacts with the French authorities to request the dispatch of aid from medical teams and from the civil defense. He is also in contact with a number of friendly and brotherly countries to coordinate efforts to organize the relief operation.
The President of Lebanon, General Michel Aoun, had asked earlier today evening from the armed forces to work to address the repercussions of the big explosion that occurred this afternoon in the Beirut port, and Prime Minister Hassan Diab announced tomorrow, mourning tomorrow.
Aoun asked to provide first aid to the wounded and the injured at the expense of the Ministry of Health, and to provide shelter for families who were displaced as a result of the enormous damage to property.
Interior Minister Mohamed Fahmy said in a statement this evening, "Initial information indicates that there is a large amount of ammonium nitrate in the amber that exploded," adding that "he does not know the cause of the explosion."
He announced that "the Supreme Council of Defense is scheduled to convene this evening to discuss the consequences of the explosion," noting that "the damage is huge and there are dead and wounded and hospitals filled."
And the fire is still burning in the place of the explosion in the port. Civil defense teams are continuing to recover the wounded and dead from the Mirfa area and other areas in Beirut.
It called on Beirut hospitals to transfer the wounded to other hospitals outside the capital because of its inability to absorb the wounded. She also appealed to those who were slightly injured to go to pharmacies.
The Director-General of the General Security, Major General Abbas Ibrahim, announced that the amber that exploded this afternoon at the Beirut port contained highly explosive materials.
For his part, the Governor of Beirut, Judge Marwan Abboud, said during his inspection of the location of the explosion in the port.
The Governor of Beirut spoke of the loss of ten members of the Beirut Fire Brigade.
The Red Cross teams are working to rescue the injured and transport them to hospitals.
