Lebanon’s health minister Hamad Hassan confirmed on Wednesday morning that at least 80 people have died and 4,000 people wounded in the Beirut explosion.
Mr Hassan says the death toll is likely to increase.
The explosion on Tuesday caused widespread damage even in the outskirts of the capital city Beirut.
The blast, at 1808 HRS local time was so powerful that it was felt 120 miles away.
Lebanon president Michel Aoun called for an emergency cabinet meeting on Wednesday and said that a 14-day emergency should be declared.
President Aoun has declared a three-day mourning period and said the government will release 100 billion lira (£50.5M) of emergency funds.
The cause of the Beirut explosion is not yet clear. Officials have linked the explosion to some estimated 2,700 tonnes of Ammonium Nitrate that were stored in one of the warehouses at the port.
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