Beirut blasts may be due to old explosive material at port: Security official

The explosion killed and wounded dozens of people, shaking buildings and sending huge plumes of smoke billowing into the Beirut sky.

Two massive explosions that hit Beirut on Tuesday may have been caused by explosive materials confiscated years ago and stored at the city’s port, General Security chief Abbas Ibrahim said.

A picture shows a destroyed silo at the scene of an explosion at the port in the Lebanese capital Beirut. (AFP)

“It appears that there is a warehouse containing material that was confiscated years ago, and it appears that it was highly explosive material,” the senior security official said, adding that an investigation would be launched into the explosions.

The explosion killed and wounded dozens of people, shaking buildings and sending huge plumes of smoke billowing into the Beirut sky.

Video footage of the second blast showed an enormous orange fireball that dwarfed nearby buildings and sent a devastating tornado-like shockwave ripping through the city.