Rescuers in Beirut search for dozens missing after massive explosion- BBC News

Rescue workers have been searching for dozens of people still missing after the massive explosion in Beirut.

At least 135 people were killed and more than 5,000 were injured. The blast was felt 150 miles away on the island of Cyprus.

Large parts of Beirut were destroyed by the the blast and more than a quarter of a million people were made homeless. A two-week state of emergency has been declared.

The explosion took place at a warehouse in the city’s port. Thousands of tonnes of ammonium nitrate were stored there. It’s used as an agricultural fertiliser and also to make explosives for mining.

It’s believed that the chemical had been stored there for several years and had begun to degrade. Port officials have been placed under house arrest while an investigation is carried out.

Britain is sending medical staff and rescue teams to Beirut. The disaster comes at a difficult time for the country, which is trying to curb the spread of coronavirus while struggling with in an unprecedented economic crisis.

Sophie Raworth presents BBC News at Ten reporting from middle east correspondent Quentin Somerville, science editor David Shukman, middle east editor Jeremy Bowen and Carine Torbey in Beirut.

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In This Story: Cyprus

Cyprus, officially called the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the Eastern Mediterranean.

The Republic of Cyprus is de facto partitioned into two main parts: the area under the effective control of the Republic, located in the south and west and comprising about 59% of the island’s area, and the north, administered by the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, covering about 36% of the island’s area. Another nearly 4% of the island’s area is covered by a UN buffer zone.

The Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia, remain under the UK’s control according to the London and Zürich Agreements.

The Republic of Cyprus has been a member of the Commonwealth since 1961 and joined the European Union on 1 May 2004.

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