The Government of Rwanda consoled the Lebanese Government and its people over the massive explosion that hit the capital Beirut on Tuesday, August 4. “The government of Rwanda expresses its sincere condolences to the Lebanese government and to the families of the victims,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a tweet on Wednesday, August 5. Le gouvernement du Rwanda exprime ses sincères condoléances au gouvernement Libanais et aux familles des victimes et souhaite un rapide rétablissement aux nombreux blessés suite à l’explosion tragique survenue ce mardi 4 août 2020 au port de Beyrouth. — Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Intl Cooperation (@RwandaMFA) August 5, 2020 The cause of the explosion is not yet clear, but officials link the blast to some 2,750 tonnes of confiscated ammonium nitrate that had been stored in a port warehouse at the port for six years. So far, the death toll from the havoc stands at over 130 people and more than 5,000 people were left injured. The Ministry added that Rwanda “wishes a speedy recovery to the many injured following the tragic explosion that occurred on Tuesday, August 4, 2020 at the port of Beirut.” Lebanese officials said they expect the death toll from Beirut’s blast to rise further as emergency workers dig through the rubble to search for survivors. Also, investigators in Lebanon are now focusing on possible negligence in the storage of tonnes of a highly explosive fertiliser in a waterfront warehouse, while the government ordered the house arrest of several port officials.
