Beirut : A terrible blast in the Lebanese capital Beirut shook the entire city, according to initial reports, hundreds of people were injured and killed.
Lebanon's director general of public security says the blast in Beirut was not caused by a fireworks factory, but by a highly explosive device that had been lying around for years.
Al Jazeera TV says the blast was caused by sodium nitrate, which was unloaded from a ship a few years ago and stored in the port's warehouse.
There are also reports that the Lebanese prime minister's wife, daughter and staff members were slightly injured in the blast.
The blast in Beirut was so intense that the windows of houses and offices were shattered in areas up to 10 kilometers away, nearby buildings and vehicles were destroyed, and city buildings are in ruins. It was initially reported that the blast took place at a fireworks factory near the port of Beirut, the first of which was followed by another large explosion, which completely destroyed the port.
