Sifting Beirut's rubble for bodies: Over 100 people are killed and thousands hurt after 'welder' sparks warehouse fire that ignited 2,700 tons of highly explosive chemicals 'seized from a ship' causing 3 kiloton blast - a fifth the size of Hiroshima bomb
- Survivors of a bomb blast that devastated Beirut are searching the rubble of their city for victims today
- Death toll stands at 100 and is expected to rise, with more than 4,000 wounded as hospitals struggle to cope
- Barely a building left untouched by blast the size of a small nuke, thought to have been sparked by a welder
- Leaders rushed to offer aid as extent of destruction was laid bare, in country already suffering economic crisis
- Prime Minister vowed that those responsible will 'pay the price' as two-week state of emergency was declared
Survivors of a cataclysmic explosion that devastated the Lebanese capital of Beirut last night were picking through the remains of their city for victims today as the death toll topped 100 and was expected to continue rising, with more than 4,000 wounded.
The city, once known as the Paris of the Middle East, resembled a huge scrapyard as the sun rose on Wednesday - with barely a building left unscathed in a blast caused by 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate that exploded with a fifth of the power of the atomic bomb that levelled Hiroshima.
Street after street, neighbourhood after neighbourhood, buildings were left without roofs or windows, their interiors shredded by the force of the explosion - believed to have been sparked when a welder caused a fire at the port, which in turn set light to a warehouse storing chemicals which had been seized from a ship six years ago.
After a night of shock and awe, the full scale of the calamity now facing Lebanon - a country that was already in the midst of an economic crisis - was laid bare at dawn, as hospitals struggled to cope with the influx of wounded and the threat of recriminations hung in the air, along with smoke from still-burning fires.
Prime Minister Hassan Diab vowed those responsible will 'pay the price' as he declared a two-week state of emergency to deal with the crisis, though the head of Lebanon's customs agency pointed the finger at the government - saying they knew of the danger but were denied permission to move the chemicals six times.
Diab also urged to all world leaders and 'friends of Lebanon' to donate aid to the country, adding: 'We are witnessing a real catastrophe.'
The United States, the UK, France, the Gulf states and even bitter rivals Israel have offered aid to the country, which is already grappling with twin economic and coronavirus crises.
President Michel Aoun declared three days of mourning, and announced he would release 100 billion lira ($66 million) of emergency funds.
Lebanon has begun the daunting task of trying to clean up its capital Beirut after a devastating explosion tore apart the city's port (pictured) and caused damage across the city after several tons of explosive chemicals ignited
Fires were still burning at the destroyed port on Wednesday morning as the full extent of the devastation - in a country that was already in the midst of an economic crisis - was laid bare
Survivors of the blast which devastated Beirut overnight were sifting through the ruins of the city on Wednesday for bodies as the death toll rose to 100 with more than 4,000 wounded, and hospitals struggling to cope
A warehouse fire sparked by a welder set light to 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate that was being stored at the city's port, causing an explosion with force roughly equal to a fifth of the atomic bomb which levelled Hiroshima
Lebanese soldiers picked through the rubble of buildings for bodies, with the death toll expected to rise further
A survivor pulled from the rubble by Lebanese soldiers is rushed to hospital following the blast which devastated Beirut
Survivors of the blast walk the streets of the city, looking for victims amid the ruins of their old neighbourhoods
Wounded people are treated at a hospital following the explosion, which has left hundreds of casualties in Beirut last night
A Lebanese army helicopter flies over the site of the blast in Beirut's port area on Wednesday morning as smoke still rises from the rubble
Firefighters spent the night battling blazes at the port, which were still burning as the sun came up on Wednesday
A destroyed facade of a building is seen following the blast on Tuesday. Rescuers worked throughout the night to find people amid the devastation
Police and forensic officers work at the scene of an explosion on Wednesday morning and rescuers continue to look for survivors
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