Beirut blast has left 7 missing, Lebanese army says

Aug. 29 (UPI) -- Seven individuals remain missing from the Beirut port blast that killed nearly 180 people, injured over 6,000 and left more than 300,000 homeless earlier this month, the Lebanese army said Saturday.

Three Lebanese nationals, three Syrians and one Egyptian were among the missing, the military said, Naharnet reported.

The army said Internal Security Forces and the Lebanese Red Cross helped the military coordinate the search for missing persons.

The blast was triggered by 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate warehoused at the city's port since 2013, prompting protests for government accountability.

Sixteen people have been arrested in connection to the blast with an investigation ongoing.

No one in the political establishment has taken responsibility for the tragedy despite it being repeatedly proven that a number of high-profile politicians knew the ammonium nitrate was stored at the port, The Daily Star reported, adding that damages from the blast are estimated to be around $15 billion.

The explosion also exacerbated Lebanon's economic crisis already compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic with high debt levels for years and heavy dependence on imports.

The U.N. agency that oversees humanitarian aid for youth, UNICEF, said earlier this month that some 80,000 children in Beirut have been displaced by the blast and and families are in need of support.

The blast damaged at least 12 primary healthcare facilities in the city, affecting some 120,000 people.

UNICEF said at least one newborn died at a children's hospital that was destroyed.