Rescue teams were still searching the rubble of Beirut's port for bodies on Friday, nearly three days after a massive explosion sent a wave of destruction through Lebanon's capital, killing nearly 150 people and wounding thousands.
At least three more bodies have been recovered in the last 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 149, according to authorities.
French and Russian rescue teams with dogs were searching the port area on Friday.
this came one day after French President Emmanuel Macron visited the site, promising more aid aid.
The blast, which shredded a large grain silo, devastated neighborhoods near the port and left several city blocks littered with glass and rubble, was apparently caused by the ignition of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate, a chemical used for explosives and fertilizer, that had been stored at the port since it was confiscated from an impounded cargo ship in 2013.
The government has launched an investigation as it has come under mounting criticism, with many Lebanese blaming the catastrophe on negligence and corruption, The Associated Press reported.
The investigation is focusing on port and customs officials, with 16 employees detained and others questioned. But many Lebanese said it points to much greater rot that permeates the political system and extends to the country's top leadership.
Search and rescue teams have been sent from several countries to help locate survivors of the blast.
Dozens of people are still missing. Some 300,000 people — more than 12% of Beirut's population — are unable to return to their homes because of the explosion, which blew out doors and windows across the city and left many buildings uninhabitable.
Officials have estimated losses at $10 billion to $15 billion.
Damaged hospitals, already strained by the coronavirus pandemic, are still struggling to deal with the wounded.
According to AP, even before the blast, the country was mired in a severe economic crisis that was also widely blamed on the political class. Unemployment was soaring, and a collapse of the local currency wiped out many people's savings, which will make the task of rebuilding after the blast even more daunting.
