TEHRAN (Iran News) – Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on August 5 sympathized with the people of Lebanon over the tragic explosion that rocked Beirut on Tuesday.
“We sympathize with and stand by the dear Lebanese citizens on the heart-rending incident of an explosion in the port of Beirut which killed and injured a large number of people and caused severe damage, patience in the face of this tragedy will be registered as another golden chapter of Lebanon’s glories,” said the Leader in a message on his Twitter account.
At least 135 were dead and around 5,000 another was injured by deadly explosions which rocked the Lebanese capital on August 4, The Guardian reported.
The fatal incident which was described by the governor of Beirut Marwan Abboud as “an apocalyptic situation,” occurred when a warehouse at the Beirut port caught fire, triggering a huge explosion.
Several smaller explosions were heard before the bigger one occurred, Lebanon’s official National News Agency (NNA) reported.
According to Abbas Ibrahim, head of Lebanon’s General Security, “highly explosive materials” ammonium nitrate confiscated earlier had been stored at the site.
Footage shared on social media captured the moment of the bigger explosion, with columns of thick smoke billowing fast across several hundreds of meters and shrouding the area.
The governor of Beirut estimated the disaster might have made 300,000 people temporarily homeless and would cost the country in excess of $3 billion.
The scale of the destruction was such that the Lebanese capital resembled the scene of an earthquake, with thousands of people left homeless and thousands more cramming into overwhelmed hospitals for treatment.
- source : Iran Daily, Irannews
