Beirut, Aug 10 (IANS) The death toll from the two explosions that rocked the Port of Beirut last week has increased to 200, the Lebanese capital city’s Governor Marwan Abboud said on Monday.
Abboud added that dozens were still missing, many of them foreign workers, while the injuries spiked to more than 7,000, reports the BBC.
The army has meanwhile called off the rescue phase of its search operation at the port, the epicentre of the blasts which took place on August 4.
The new figures came a day after a second night of violence in the city, as police clashed with protesters angry with the government’s response to the disaster.
The resignation of a cabinet minister and several MPs has failed to quell the fury amongst the citizens, who have long accused the political elite of corruption, neglect and mismanagement.
Since the explosion, hundreds of thousands of people have been living in severely damaged homes, many without windows or doors.
UN agencies have warned of a humanitarian crisis unless food and medical aid are delivered immediately.
International donors pledged $297 million in aid for Lebanon at a virtual summit on Sunday hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron.
They said the funds had to be “directly delivered to the Lebanese population”.
Lebanese authorities have said the blast was the result of the detonation of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate that had been stored unsafely at the port for six years.
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