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Death Toll Tops 100 in Beirut Blast

VOA News

   Prime Minister Hassan Diab declared Wednesday a day of mourning in
   Lebanon after a powerful blast devastated the port in the capital city
   of Beirut. The Lebanese Red Cross said in a morning statement that more
   than 100 people were dead and at least 4,000 injured.

   Officials said they expected the number of victims to rise as crews
   worked their way through rubble of damaged buildings and people
   searched for missing family and friends.

   The exact cause of Tuesday's blast was not clear, but Lebanese
   officials put the focus on what they said was tons of ammonium nitrate
   that had been stored at port warehouses for the past six years.

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