German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas announced today, Thursday, that a German diplomat was killed in the explosion, which occurred on Tuesday in the port of Beirut, and killed at least 137 people, stressing that his country's diplomacy is in "mourning".
"Our worst fears are confirmed. A member of our embassy in Beirut was killed in her apartment" in the Lebanese capital, Haikou Mas said in a statement. He added that "all members of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are in mourning for their colleague."
"I express my thanks to all who, like our late colleague, every day take great personal risks around the world in the service of our country," he added.
The German Foreign Ministry said, last Tuesday, that a number of its diplomatic staff members in Beirut were wounded, without giving any details.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was "shocked" and stressed that "her thoughts are with those who have lost dear people." She also expressed her wishes for a "speedy recovery" for the wounded.
The explosion at the Beirut port, which was caused by a fire in a warehouse containing a huge amount of ammonium nitrate, also displaced about 300 thousand people in a country suffering from economic collapse and almost half of its population lives in poverty.