An estimated 4,000 people have been injured and more than 100 killed in a massive explosion at the Port of Beirut.
CNN reported that the explosion, which occurred about 6 p.m. Tuesday in Lebanon’s capital, has caused buildings to collapse and that neighborhoods around the port are unrecognizable.
Rescue operations are ongoing and hospitals in Beirut reportedly are overwhelmed. The number of injured and killed is expected to climb.
Lebanon’s National News Agency initially said the blast was believed to have been caused by fireworks stored in a warehouse. But CNN later reported Lebanese officials were blaming confiscated highly explosive material.
The Port of Beirut has 12 warehouses, including one dedicated to hazardous goods, and the capacity to handle 745,000 twenty-foot equivalent units.
Container operations at the port are subcontracted to the private Beirut Container Terminal Consortium. Its website was down Tuesday afternoon.
CMA CGM and MSC are among the major container carriers that call the Port of Beirut.