Seven people are still missing more than three weeks after the tragic explosion at the port of Beirut which killed 188 people, according to a latest report provided on Saturday by the Lebanese authorities.
“The number of missing persons now stands at seven, including three Lebanese, three Syrians and an Egyptian,” Elias Aad, director of public relations in the Lebanese army, told a press conference in Beirut. These figures were compiled by the Internal Security Forces in coordination with the Lebanese Red Cross, he said. In total, the explosion left 188 dead and more than 6,500 injured, according to the latest report from the Ministry of Health. The search “will continue until we find the missing,” Aad said.
The explosion, which occurred on August 4, was caused by huge quantities of ammonium nitrate stored “without precautionary measures” in the port, according to the authorities. It devastated entire districts of the capital, leaving tens of thousands of people homeless and further weakening a country undermined by an unprecedented economic crisis and by the Covid-19 pandemic.
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