Australian Killed In Beirut Explosion - Prime Minister Morrison

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 05th August, 2020) Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said an Australian had been killed in the Beirut explosion.

"It is very distressing, and I can confirm there has been one Australian that has been killed," he told the Sunrise program on Wednesday as quoted by the Seven news website.

"Which is terribly devastating and obviously, we can't give more details about the specifics at this time, but our sympathies to all of the people in Lebanon," Morrison said.

A powerful explosion occurred in the port area of Beirut on Tuesday evening. The city governor said half of the city's buildings were damaged, and hospitals were overcrowded due to a large number of those injured.

According to the Health Ministry, more than 4,000 people were injured, over 78 died. The head of the country's general security service, Gen. Abbas Ibrahim, said that in line with preliminary data, explosives that had been stored in the port for a long time detonated.

Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab said the blast had been caused by improper storage of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate in the port of Beirut.

The Lebanese government has declared a three-day mourning for the victims of the tragedy.