There has been a major explosion in Lebanon's capital, Beirut.

The Lebanese Health Minister has said that at least 70 people have been confirmed dead and about 4000 have been injured. Lebanon Prime Minister Hassan Diab has announced National Mourning Day on Wednesday.

Officials say that there was a huge explosive material store in a warehouse and there was a blast.

Lebanese President Michael Eoin has tweeted that it is absolutely unacceptable that 2,750 tons of explosive nitrate were stored unsafely. How did the explosion happen? It is still under investigation.

A BBC journalist present on the occasion says that the bodies are scattered and heavy damage has been done. Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab described it as horrifying and said that those who are guilty will not be released.

The explosive nitrate store that is being talked about was a store since 2014. An eyewitness from the news agency AFP said that all the surrounding buildings have collapsed. Mirrors and debris are scattered all around. The sound of the blast was heard in the eastern Mediterranean to Cyprus, 240 kilometers away.

The explosion occurred just before the 2005 Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri's investigation and court hearing.

The blast took place in the city's coastal area. Explosion scenes in videos posted online are horrific. Flames of smoke are rising with flames.

The explosion has taken place when Lebanon is badly engulfed in economic crisis. Lebanese Health Minister Hamad Hasan has said that many people have been injured in the blast and heavy damage has been done.

It is being said that a large number of casualties have been taken to hospitals.

The cause of the blast has not been known yet. It is also seen as an accident in some reports. The Lebanese National News Agency reports that an explosive center on the coastline has been set on fire.

It is being shown in the local media that people are buried under the rubble. An eyewitness said that the first blast was deaf.

Lebanon is also under tension with Israel on the outskirts. Israel said last week that it thwarted Hizbullah's attempts to infiltrate its territory.

However, a senior Israeli official from the BBC said that Israel had nothing to do with the Beirut blast.

Protests against the government have been taking place in Lebanon for some time. Lebanon is facing the biggest economic crisis since the civil war of 1975–1990 and people are on the streets against the government.

The Indian Embassy in Lebanon has issued a helpline detailing the horrific explosion.

The Indian Embassy tweeted, "There are two big blasts in Central Beirut this evening." Everyone is advised to maintain restraint. If anyone in the Indian community needs help, you can contact our helpline. ”

An eyewitness named Hadi Nasrullah told the BBC-

I saw the flames but I didn't know that the explosion was going to happen. I went inside. Suddenly I stopped hearing because I was very close to the scene. I did not hear anything for a few seconds. I started to feel that something was wrong.

Suddenly, glass and glass started falling on vehicles, shops and buildings. People were calling each other from different areas throughout Beirut. Everyone heard the sound of the explosion. We were absolutely speechless because if there was a blast earlier, only one area was affected, but it was a blast that was felt outside of Beirut.

What does BBC Arab affairs analyst Sebastian Usher say?

The photos and videos that have surfaced after the blast include not only smoke balloons but also several kilometers of destruction. The explosion has shocked Lebanon already troubled by the economic crisis. The Lebanese economy has collapsed and people are protesting against the government on the streets.

Just before the blast, there was a scuffle between the anti-government protesters and the police outside the Energy Ministry. People are demanding to fix the accountability of the leaders. Even starvation warnings and communal conflicts are expected to increase. The blast also reminded many of Rafiq Hariri's death. The people of Lebanon are hoping that this time it is just an accident, not a premeditated conspiracy.

What is the Hariri matter?

Former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri was assassinated in 2005 through a car bomb. A United Nations tribunal is scheduled to announce its verdict in the murder case on Friday. All four suspects belong to the Iran-backed Hezbollah group.

However, they have been denying involvement in this attack. There is also talk of another blast outside Hariri's residence.

The four suspects are Shia Muslims and have a court hearing against them in the Netherlands. When Hariri was killed by a car bomb, 21 other people were also killed in it.

On 14 February 2005, while Rafiq Hariri was going by a car, there was a big blast targeting him. He was killed in the blast.

Hariri was the leading Sunni leader of Lebanon. He had come with the opposition before the assassination. Hariri also supported the demand to withdraw the Syrian army from Lebanon, which had been present since the civil war in Lebanon in 1976.

Thousands of people descended on the streets to protest against the pro-Syrian government after Hariri's assassination. A powerful neighbor was held responsible by Lebanon for Hariri's murder. Within two weeks of the attack, the government had to resign and after some time Syria also had to withdraw its army.

After collecting all the evidence, the United Nations and Lebanon set up a tribunal in The Hague in 2007 to investigate the explosion. The tribunal framed charges of terrorism, murder and attempted murder on four Iran-backed Hezbollah suspects.

Mustafa Amin, a fifth man associated with the attack and Hizbullah's military commander, was assassinated in Syria in 2016.

Hezbollah's supporters have dismissed the trial. He says the tribunal is not politically neutral.

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