Two Egyptians Killed, One Missing After Deadly Blast In Lebanon's Beirut - Cairo

CAIRO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th August, 2020) The recent massive explosion that took place in Lebanon's Beirut late on Tuesday killed two Egyptian citizens, the country's Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday, adding that one more Egyptian has been reported missing.

"By now, the embassy [of Egypt in Lebanon] know about the death of two Egyptian citizens in the result of the explosion," the ministry said in a statement.

Another individual, who also holds Egyptian citizenship, has been reported missing, according to the embassy.

The explosion has left over 4,000 people injured, and more than 100 killed. A large number of countries, including Lebanon's middle East neighbors, have already offered their assistance to Beirut and extended their condolences over the tragic incident.

Half of the city's buildings have been severely damaged, and hospitals are overcrowded due to the large number of the blast's victims, according to Beirut Governor Marwan Abboud.

Earlier in the day, Abboud said that around 300,000 people had become homeless.

According to the Lebanese authorities, the blast was likely to have been caused by the detonation of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate that was stored improperly in a warehouse for six years.

The Lebanese government has declared a three-day mourning period for the victims of the tragedy starting on Wednesday. The authorities have imposed a state of emergency for two weeks.