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Disaster in Beirut

The disaster in Beirut: The death toll rose to 200, three ministers resigned

The city governor said dozens were still missing, including foreign workers, but the army stopped searches at the port of the sword. The justice minister has joined the abandonment of the government, which is expected to disband soon. The protesters are also demanding the resignation of the president and plan to continue the protest

• Lebanon
• Beirut
• Michelle Aoun

News agencies

The death toll from the explosion in the port of Beirut has risen to more than 200, the governor of the Lebanese capital, Marwan Aboudi, said today (Monday). Dozens more are defined as missing, many of them foreign workers, but the military stopped searches at the port after hopes of locating survivors faded.

Meanwhile, Justice Minister Marie-Claude Najem announced today her resignation due to the disaster and anti-government demonstrations that have plagued the city since the blast on Tuesday. She is the third member of the government to resign in the last two days, after the Minister of Information and the Minister of Environmental Protection yesterday. In addition, some MPs also resigned and Prime Minister Hassan Diab made it clear that he would run in early elections.

However, this did not calm the anger of the residents and yesterday there were stormy demonstrations for the second day in a row. They are expected to continue today, outside the presidential palace in Abda, demanding the resignation of Christian President Aoun Christian.

Aoun has promised a comprehensive investigation and the punishment of those responsible for the default that allowed the storage of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate in the port for about seven years, but he opposes an international investigation. On Friday he raised a version that there may have been "foreign intervention" - using a missile or charge - but there is no further basis for this at this stage.

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