Lebanese Health Minister Hamad Hassan said the death toll from the Beirut port explosion has risen to 154, while searches for stranded people and the removal of rubble continue, amid ongoing investigations and the arrest of 16 people.

Hassan stated in a statement reported by the official Lebanese agency that 20% of the wounded need to receive treatment, and that there are 120 critical cases, noting that the flying glass resulted in severe injuries that need careful surgeries.

The minister had said in previous statements that the outcome of the Beirut explosion reached 135 dead and about 5,000 wounded, before the announcement of the new toll.

On Tuesday, the Lebanese capital spent a bloody night, as a result of a huge explosion at the Beirut port, according to preliminary estimates that it was caused by a warehouse explosion that contained heavily explosive materials, which also caused the displacement of about 300,000 people from Beirut whose homes were destroyed or severely damaged.

Searches

Meanwhile, local and foreign rescue teams are intensifying their efforts at the Beirut port on Friday to find missing people whose families live in difficult hours of waiting.

In the port, which has become more like a huge scrap yard, rescue workers have been busy since the early morning hours to continue searching for missing persons among mountains of rubble and piles of grains that have spread around the area.

The French Press Agency correspondent at the search site saw heavy machinery and bulldozers working to lift the rubble, cut large iron bars and transport freight containers, in preparation for opening a corridor between the rubble and trying to reach the stranded building employees.

French, Italian, German and Russian rescue teams are searching the site for at least seven employees who worked in the management and control room in the wheat warehouses, including Ghassan Hasrouti, who has been working at the port for 38 years.

Investigations

Judicial bodies are investigating the explosion, which authorities said was caused by the storage of 2750 tons of ammonium nitrate six years ago.

On Thursday, the government commissioner to the Acting Military Court, Judge Fadi Aqeeqi, announced the arrest of 16 people, including senior officials, at the Beirut Port, pending an investigation.

Among the detainees - according to what a security source told the French Press Agency - is the port's board chairman, Hassan Quraytem.

According to Akiki, more than 18 people were interrogated, from officials at the Beirut Port Authority and the Customs Administration, and responsible for maintenance and those carrying out these works in ward No. 12, where ammonium nitrate was stored in addition to “inflammable flammable materials and cables for slow detonation.”

The Lebanese blamed the explosion for the ruling authority that rose up against it months ago, demanding its departure. At night, limited clashes erupted between dozens of angry youths and the security forces in downtown Beirut.

Several parties, including international organizations in Beirut, notably Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, in addition to previous heads of government, called for an international investigation to uncover the circumstances of the huge explosion.

During his visit to Beirut, the French President expressed his support for "conducting an open and transparent international investigation to prevent things from being hidden first and to prevent suspicion."

During Thursday's visit to Beirut, Macron called on Lebanese officials accused of corruption, impotence and waste of public money to "profound change" by "bearing their responsibilities and re-establishing a new charter" with the people to restore their confidence.

International solidarity

As international aid begins to find its way to Lebanon, France will hold an international conference for the next few days in support of Lebanon.

Several Arab countries rushed to send aid after the authorities declared Beirut a disaster city.

The US embassy said on Friday that the United States has pledged more than $ 17 million to Lebanon in initial disaster relief after Tuesday's explosion.

For his part, a WHO spokesman said - in an online statement to the United Nations - that the damages caused to the hospitals have reduced the number of available beds by 500 beds.

The Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, will go to Beirut on Saturday, in solidarity with Lebanon after the catastrophe disaster, according to a statement issued by the League on Friday.

"The purpose of the visit is to show solidarity and mobilize Arab and international support to help Lebanon in facing the consequences of the recent catastrophe, which could be extended for a period of time, especially in light of the huge financial and economic difficulties currently facing Lebanon," the statement said.