Beirut explosion: City in shock amid destruction

Beirut's governor on Wednesday said that at least 300,000 people had been left homeless from Tuesday's blast, and half to the city had been damaged. 

"I think there are between 250,000 and 300,000 people who are now without homes," said Marwan Aboud, adding that the estimated cost of the damage from Tuesday's explosion was between $3bn and $5bn. 

Lebanon has no looming wheat crisis, despite Beirut’s main grain silos being destroyed, the head of the wheat importers’ union told al-Akhbar.

Ahmed Hatteet told the local paper that the country has enough reserves to last a month and a half.

The Beirut port silos, which can hold 120,000 tonnes of wheat, were near empty at the time of the explosion, he said.

The port itself is a ruin, and Hatteet said four ships carrying 28,000 tonnes of wheat were unable to unload their cargo.

Minister of Public Works Michel Najjar told LBCI the port in north Lebanon’s Tripoli will be used for shipping in replacement.

Tripoli’s port was recently developed and was thought to be operating at around 40 percent capacity before Tuesday’s incident.

Britain said on Wednesday that it was too early to speculate on the cause of a massive blast that ripped through Beirut.

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday cast the explosion as a possible attack, though Lebanese leaders said that it was likely caused by highly explosive material that had been stored at warehouses in the capital for years.

When asked about speculation about the causes of the blast, British junior education minister Nick Gibb said: "The Lebanese authorities are of course investigating the cause of that tragedy and before we have the results of that inquiry it is premature to speculate."

Gibb also told Sky that Britain was discussing what technical and financial assistance could be offered to Lebanon. 

Cyprus said it stood ready to offer medical aid to neighbouring Lebanon after a massive blast ripped through Beirut port.

"Cyprus is ready to accept injured persons for treatment and send medical teams if required," Cypriot Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides told state broadcaster CyBC.

Tuesday's explosion was heard throughout Cyprus, which lies about 160km away.

Christodoulides said the Cypriot embassy in Beirut, which was closed at the time of the blast, was extensively damaged. 

A huge blast at Beirut port that devastated entire neighbourhoods of the city has killed more than 100 people and injured over 4,000, the Lebanese Red Cross said Wednesday.

"Until now over 4,000 people have been injured and over 100 have lost their lives. Our teams are still conducting search and rescue operations in the surrounding areas," a statement said.