Devastated Beirut unlikely to be rebuilt as costs put at $15bn

Rubble and damaged vehicles after a huge blast in Beirut's port area, Lebanon, August 7 2020. Picture: REUTERS/AZIZ TAHER

Security forces fired teargas at a furious crowd late on Thursday, as anger boiled over at the government and a political elite, who have presided over a nation that was facing economic collapse even before the deadly port blast injured 5,000 people. As Abdou spoke, a domestic water boiler fell through the ceiling of his cracked home, while volunteers from the neighbourhood turned out on the street to sweep up debris.

Hospitals, many heavily damaged as shock waves ripped out windows and pulled down ceilings, have been overwhelmed by the number of casualties. Many were struggling to find enough foreign exchange to buy supplies before the explosion. Lebanese Red Cross secretary-general George Kettaneh told local radio VDL that three more bodies had been found in the search, while the health minister said on Friday that the death toll had climbed to 154. Dozens are still unaccounted for.

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