16 People Arrested for Lebanon Port Blast

Lebanese authorities have arrested 16 people as part of an investigation into the Beirut port warehouse explosion that devastated the capital, state media reports. 

Local media reported the port's general manager was among those detained.

Authorities had so far questioned more than 18 port and customs officials and workers responsible for or involved in maintenance at the warehouse, which housed highly explosive material that blew up on Tuesday.

The Lebanese government has given the investigative committee probing the blast four days to determine responsibility for the explosion, Foreign Minister Charbel Wehbe told French radio.

Tuesday’s blast killed at least 145 people and injured about 5,000 others, while dozens are still missing.

The Prime Minister and presidency have said 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, used in fertilizers and bombs, had been stored for six years without safety measures at the port warehouse that blew up.

By Ana Dumbadze