Lebanon's internal security chief Abbas Ibrahim said that a massive blast in Beirut's port area occurred in a section housing highly-explosive materials, and not explosive as had been reported earlier by the official state news agency NNA.

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Speaking to reporters in televised remarks, he declined to speculate about the cause of the explosion in Lebanon's capital, saying "we cannot preempt investigations".

The explosion killed 78 people, injured nearly 4,000 and sent shockwaves that shattered windows, smashed masonry and shook the ground across the Lebanese capital.