Lebanese Health Minister Hamad Hassan announced that the confirmed death toll from yesterday’s spectacular blast at a downtown Beirut pier has risen to 135, the Washington Post reports. At least 4,000 people were injured, according to the Red Cross.
The explosion happened at a warehouse that stored 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate, a fertilizer that can be used as an explosive. The fertilizer was part of a shipment that was reportedly abandoned in the port in 2014 by a Russian businessman.
More than 250,000 residents of the city were homeless after the blast, either because their residences were destroyed or the buildings were suspected to have compromised in the explosion.
Multiple nations have offered aid to Lebanon in the aftermath of the disaster, which destroyed a wide swath of Beirut’s downtown are. France, Germany, Israel and the UK are among the nation’s offering assistance. The United Nations is also rushing food, supplies and equipment to the scene.
Despite President Trump’s claim that the blast was the result of an intentional attack by an unknown assailant, no evidence has been presented to support the claim, and US military and intelligence officials have stated the explosion likely was caused accidentally.