UAE Embassy in Beirut calls on citizens to take maximum precautions

The UAE Embassy in Beirut has warned UAE citizens to take maximum precautions and to avoid areas affected by Tuesday’s twin blasts.

On its official social media accounts, the UAE mission urged travellers to adhere to procedures and instructions issued by the relevant local authorities. It also announced that Emiratis currently in Lebanon should contact the embassy by calling +96 - 1182 9999.

According to preliminary reports, highly explosive materials stored in a warehouse were the cause of the blasts. Later, Lebanon's prime minister said 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate had exploded in the port.

President Michel Aoun also tweeted that it was "unacceptable" that 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate was stored unsafely.

Ammonium nitrate, which Lebanese authorities have said was the cause of the Beirut blast, is an odorless crystalline substance commonly used as a fertilizer that has been the cause of numerous industrial explosions over the decades.

The massive explosion rocked downtown Beirut and killed at least 70 people on Tuesday, while leaving more than 4,000 injured.

Countries around the world expressed their solidarity for Lebanon and its people, as landmarks paid a sign of respect to the victims of the deadly explosion. Egypt’s pyramids and Dubai’s Burj Khalifa lit up with the Lebanese flag, while Toronto dimmed the lights on its signboard to mark the tragic event.

تعازينا لأهلنا في لبنان الحبيبة! اللهم ارحم من انتقلوا إليك.. اللهم الطف بأهلها.. اللهم ألهم شعب لبنان الصبر والسلوان#BurjKhalifa lights up in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in #Lebanon pic.twitter.com/VRR00hXiUM

— Burj Khalifa (@BurjKhalifa) August 4, 2020