Thirteen ethnic Armenians have been killed and about 300 others were injured in last week's explosion in the Lebanese capital of Beirut, Zareh Sinanyan, the chief commissioner for diaspora affairs at the office of the Armenian prime minister, said on Friday
YEREVAN (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th August, 2020) Thirteen ethnic Armenians have been killed and about 300 others were injured in last week's explosion in the Lebanese capital of Beirut, Zareh Sinanyan, the chief commissioner for diaspora affairs at the office of the Armenian prime minister, said on Friday.
On August 4, the powerful blast rocked the port of Beirut, killing over 170 people and injuring thousands more. According to the authorities, the explosion was caused by 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, confiscated by the customs services in 2014, and stored in the port since then.
"The number of wounded Armenians ranges from 250 to 300. The severity of the injuries is very different - from minor scratches to serious injuries. We were told that 13 Armenians were killed in Lebanon. Although our media still report about 11 deaths, I am inclined to believe the Lebanese side, as the number 13 was named by both, representatives of church structures and the Dashnaktsutyun [Armenian Revolutionary Federation] party [in Lebanon]," Sinanyan told reporters.
Lebanon is home to a large Armenian community of about 150,000 people. Armenians mainly live in Beirut and its neighborhoods, as well as in the Matn and Zahle regions. The independent Armenian Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia is also located in the Arab country.
