Beirut:
Lebanese President Michel Aoun said on Wednesday that the massive explosion on Tuesday which destroyed buildings over a vast perimeter, including houses and residential buildings, has left more than 200,000 people homeless.
Prime Minister Aoum held and emergency cabinet meeting on Wednesday and said a two-week state of emergency should be declared following a massive explosion in Beirut that killed at least 100 people and injured 4,000 others. Al Jazeera reported.
Officials said they expect the death toll to rise further as emergency workers dig through the rubble to search for survivors.
The explosion on Tuesday at Beirut Port, which the authorities said might have been caused when a huge cache of ammonium nitrate kept in one of the warehouses caught fire, sent shockwaves across the city, causing widespread damage and loss of life.
Prime Minister Hassan Diab called for three days of mourning on Wednesday.
