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Over 230 injured in Beirut protests - Lebanese Red Cross Society

The Lebanese Red Cross has transported 63 people to nearby hospitals

© Maxim Grigoriev/TASS

MOSCOW, August 8. /TASS/. More than 230 people have been injured in Saturday protests in Beirut, the Lebanese Red Cross Society wrote on its Twitter account.

"The Lebanese Red Cross has transported 63 people to nearby hospitals and has treated 175 people at the scene," the tweet says.

On Saturday, downtown Beirut transformed into a battlefield between the riot police and protesters, who demand the resignation of the country’s political leadership. Prime Minister Hassan Diab called for an early parliamentary election, but his statement did not calm the protesters down. Tensions continue escalating in Beirut. Participants in an anti-government demonstration are storming governmental buildings, with the Environment Ministry among them. According to Lebanon-24 channel, they are storming the Association of Lebanese Banks and the Energy Ministry.

The protests were sparked by a powerful blast that on August 4 ripped through Beirut’s port and generated a shockwave, which either destroyed or damaged a larger part of the city infrastructure. According to the Health Ministry, 158 people were killed in the blast and more than 6,000 injured. More than 300,000 people have been left homeless. Among them are 100,000 children.

According to Lebanon’s Interior Ministry, welding work started a fire that detonated more than 2,700 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, stored in the port for six years after being seized by the customs service.

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