US President Donald Trump claimed Tuesday that a devastating blast that sent shockwaves through Beirut and the region "looks like a terrible attack," suggesting it was a bombing rather than an accident.
Lebanese authorities have said a fire at a warehouse containing explosives at the Port of Beirut led to the massive blast, which levelled a three-story building and was heard across the city and its suburbs.
Trump extended the US's "deepest sympathies to the people of Lebanon, where reports indicate that many, many people were killed."
"Our prayers go out to all the victims and their families. The United States is ready to assist Lebanon," Trump told reporters at the White House. "We will be there to help. It looks like a terrible attack."
Asked by a reporter if he was confident in his assessment that the blast was an attack and not an accident, Trump said: "it would seem like it, based on the explosion."
"I met with some of our great generals, and they just seem to feel that it was. This was not some kind of a manufacturing explosion type of event," he said. "They would know better than I would, but they seem to think it was an attack, it was a bomb of some kind."
It has been reported that the death toll has risen to 73 and nearly 4,000 people have been wounded. Victims remain trapped under debris as rescue workers try to reach them. - Anadolu Agency Source: https://www.daily-bangladesh.com
