Lebanon puts Beirut port officials under house arrest after explosion

Lebanon’s government ordered multiple port officials to be placed under house arrest on Wednesday, a day after a massive explosion devastated the city’s port and killed more than 100 people.

The Associated Press and Reuters reported that several officials had been ordered into house arrest, though it was initially unclear if any charges were to be filed. It also was not clear how many officials had been put under house arrest.

News of the move comes as the country’s central bank reported Wednesday that the massive explosion, which was caught on social media video damaging apartments many blocks away from the blast, would end up costing billions of dollars in damage, according to CNBC.

Dramatic video shows the massive explosion near Beirut’s port that caused destruction to homes miles away.

At least 80 people were killed and 4,000 injured: https://t.co/RKUsgPjNg9 pic.twitter.com/6acy9e04WN

— CNN (@CNN) August 5, 2020

Officials at the bank reportedly added Wednesday that owners of businesses in the area damaged by the blast would be able to apply for interest-free loans for a period of five years, an effort to stimulate economic recovery in the area surrounding the port, which was the country’s busiest.

More than 100 people were killed in the blast and roughly 4,000 were injured. Officials have blamed the explosion on stored ammonium nitrate in a warehouse at the port facility, but have launched an investigation to officially determine the cause.