Hospitals in the Lebanese capital Beirut were overwhelmed with the victims of the huge explosion that led to the fall of hundreds, and turned the warehouses of the port area into rubble.

The Lebanese Minister of Health said that the explosion left 27 people dead and 2,500 wounded.

The Secretary-General of the Lebanese Red Cross, George Kettana, explained that hundreds of people injured in the Beirut port explosion were taken to hospitals for treatment, but many are still trapped in the houses that were damaged by the explosion.

Kettana added to the local media that there are no exact figures for the number of the injured, as many are still trapped in houses and inside the area of ​​the explosion, and others were rescued by boats.

The Lebanese "LBCI" station quoted the Hotel Dieu Hospital as saying that its medical staff is treating more than 500 patients, and he cannot receive more. The hospital said that dozens of injured people needed surgery, and appealed to citizens to donate blood.

Field reports spoke of heavy casualties, and the government announced tomorrow, Wednesday, a day of mourning.

The explosion killed the Secretary-General of the Phalanges Party, Nizar Najarian, and the director of the Lebanese Electricity Corporation, Kamal Hayek, was critically wounded, and there are appeals to the Red Cross to take him to the hospital.

The Red Cross has launched a public alert for all paramedics, and the capital's hospitals have called on citizens to go to donate blood.

The Lebanese Minister of Health requested that the wounded be transferred to the hospitals around Beirut, after the capital's hospitals were filled.

The official agency spoke of "a number of martyrs and wounded" as a result of the explosion, while ambulance and rescue teams are still operating in the place. Witnesses said dozens of wounded people were still lying there.

The explosion occurred at six in the afternoon, amid anticipation of a court ruling regarding the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in 2005.