Immediately after a massive explosion rocked the Lebanese capital of Beirut, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that his country is "fully prepared" to render any necessary help.
In a post on his Twitter account on Tuesday, Zarif said Iranians thoughts and prayers are with the "great and resilient people of Lebanon."
The top Iranian diplomat also called on the Lebanese people and government to "stay strong.”
A warehouse at the Beirut Port caught fire on Tuesday afternoon, triggering a huge explosion, Lebanon’s official National News Agency (NNA) reported.
Several smaller explosions were heard before the bigger one occurred.
Footage shared on social media captured the moment of the bigger explosion, with a colossal shock wave seen traveling fast across several hundreds of meters and shrouding the area in thick smoke.
The health ministry in Lebanon announced that the death toll from the massive explosion in Beirut stood at more than 100, and the number of injured was over 4,000.
Grain silos totally damaged
The blast destroyed crucial grain silos at the port, which are thought to have stored around 85% of the country’s grain.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency quoted Raoul Nehme, the minister of economy and trade, as saying that all the wheat stored at the facility had been contaminated and couldn’t be used. However, he insisted Lebanon had enough wheat for its immediate needs.
Nehme said Lebanon also would import more wheat. Lebanon depends on imports for about 80% of its wheat supply, according to Associated Press.
Ammonium nitrate explosion
Lebanese prime minister Hassan Diab, in a short televised speech, has appealed to all countries and friends of Lebanon to extend help to the nation, saying: “We are witnessing a real catastrophe.”
Lebanon’s prime minister, Hassan Diab, has blamed today’s catastrophe on the explosion of 2,700 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, which can be used to make fertilisers and explosives.
Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab vowed that those responsible for the massive blast in Beirut would be held to account, also calling for international assistance to help the country, which is already beset by economic crises.
Diab announced three days of national mourning for the victims of the deadly blast in Lebanon, also declaring a state of emergency across the country for two weeks.