Iran Press/Middle East: Two huge explosions have rocked Beirut, killing at least 78 people, injuring thousands more, and sending an enormous blast wave across the city that shattered windows, knocked down doors, and shook buildings.
Lebanon’s prime minister, Hassan Diab, said the main blast at Beirut’s port was caused when an estimated 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate had been ignited. He said the chemical had been left unsecured for six years in a warehouse and vowed to punish those responsible.
The Lebanese Supreme Defense Council announced three days of public mourning and the closure of government offices in the country in the extraordinary meeting chaired by President Michel Aoun on Wednesday morning.
"A great catastrophe has occurred in Lebanon and our goal is to take judicial and security measures in this regard," Michel Aoun said at the beginning of the meeting.
The Lebanese Supreme Defense Council recommended declaring Beirut a disaster-stricken city following the explosion, declaring a two-week state of emergency in the capital, and handing over security responsibility to military authorities.
A council statement, read live on television, said President Michel Aoun has decided to release 100 billion Lebanese pounds in emergency allocations from the 2020 budget.
It also recommended ahead of a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday that a committee be tasked with investigating the blast and present its findings within five days to mete out the maximum punishment for those responsible.
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