At least 100 people have been killed and 4000 have been wounded as a large blast hits the Lebanese capital, Beirut on Tuesday, said Hamad Hassan, country's health minister. According to Hassan, thousands of people have sustained injuries as a result of the explosion. Ambulances and aid workers were rushed to the area.
A powerful explosion shook several parts of Beirut, creating a large mushroom cloud and causing extensive damage. Initial reports suggest that the explosion took place in a fireworks warehouse at Pier 12 of Beirut port.
The intensity of the blast was so strong that glass storefronts and windowless across the city were instantly shattered.
Lebanese Prime Minister, Hassan Diab, said that the cause of the explosion was approximately 2,700 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored at a warehouse that has been been the subject of warnings since 2014. Diab said that he would reveal the facts soon. Ammonium nitrate is a common industrial chemical used as a component in mining explosives, but it is not explosive on its own.
However, US President Donald Trump seems to think that it was an attack. While speaking to the press at White House, he claimed that his generals seem to think it was an "attack by a bomb".
This is a developing story.