Beirut explosion: Here's what we know at the moment

A deafening blast ripped through the Lebanese capital of Beirut on Tuesday, August 4, 2020, causing widespread damage and leaving hundreds injured.

It is yet unclear what caused the explosion in the city's port region.

1..Online videos showed a large explosive cloud, destroyed buildings and wrecked cars.

2..Hospitals are now overwhelmed with casualties.

3..The blast occurred in an area housing highly explosive materials.

4..Lebanon is currently grappling with an economic crisis and there is tension ahead of Friday's verdict in a trial over the killing of ex-Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in 2005.

5..Lebanon's health minister, Hamad Hasan, says many are injured.

6..The Lebanese Red Cross says hundreds of people have been taken to hospital.

7..Reuters news agency quotes sources as saying 10 bodies have been pulled from the wreckage.

8..A BBC journalist at the scene reported dead bodies and severe damage - enough to put the port out of action.The port is the lifeline of Beirut's economy.

9..There are sundry reports that the blast may have been the result of an accident from a part of town where firecrackers are stored.

10..Latest reports say at least 27 have died and more than 2,500 others have been left injured.

11..Lebanon's Prime Minister, Hassan Diab, says the explosions were caused by an estimated 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate left unsecured for 6 years in a warehouse. He vows to punish officials responsible.

12..Over 78 people have now been reported dead with some 4,000 injured.

13..According to UberFacts, "The Beirut explosion was equivalent to about 240 tons of TNT, roughly 10 times as great as the US military's "mother of all bombs" (MOAB) is capable of unleashing. The blast produced seismic waves equal to a magnitude 3.3 earthquake."

14..At least 300,000 people have been displaced from their homes by Tuesday's devastating explosion, according Beirut's Governor Marwan Abboud.