Two Belgian nationals have now been confirmed as dead following explosions in Beirut on Tuesday, the Belgian Foreign Affairs Ministry confirmed to VTM Nieuws.
On Wednesday morning, one unidentified Belgian citizen was already confirmed to have been killed following the two explosions in Lebanon’s capital, Beirut. Around noon, VTM Nieuws reported that a second victim had passed away.
Both, a man and a woman, were of Belgian-Lebanese descent. No further details were given.
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Tuesday night's blast destroyed a warehouse in Beirut’s harbour. An even bigger explosion followed a few seconds later. At least 100 were killed, and 4,000 were injured.
The warehouse was said to be storing 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, which is highly explosive.
The explosion also damaged the nearby Belgian Embassy, with shattered glass injuring two embassy employees and two of their family members.
Around 2,200 Belgians are registered in the area where the explosion took place. The Belgian embassy has contacted all citizens via text message.
Foreign Affairs has advised that the number of wounded or killed citizens may still rise as the search for victims continues.
Amée Zoutberg
The Brussels Times