The Canadian Embassy in Beirut is temporarily closed in light of an explosion that rocked that city’s port on Tuesday.
Consular services are still available by phone and email, and the office is slated to re-open at the end of the week.
Our embassy in #Beirut will be closed until August 7 due to the explosion that occurred today. Consular services remain available to Canadians in #Lebanon.
Reach us 24/7:
+1 613 996 8885
sos@international.gc.ca. https://t.co/7zBh7tO0YU pic.twitter.com/LNDqAkV7xM
— Canada in Lebanon (@CanadaLebanon) August 4, 2020
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted that “Canadians are thinking of everyone who has been injured and all those who are trying to locate a friend or family member or have lost a loved one. ”
“Absolutely tragic news coming out of Beirut. Canadians are thinking of everyone who has been injured and all those who are trying to locate a friend or family member or have lost a loved one. We’re keeping you in our thoughts and we stand ready to assist in any way we can.”
— CanadianPM (@CanadianPM) August 4, 2020
Al-Jazeera reports that Lebanon is eyeing a state of emergency with more than 100 people now dead, and 4,000 injured.
Those numbers are expected to climb.
The media outlet reports that the cause of the explosion isn’t known, though Lebanese officials have linked the blast to 2,750 tonnes of confiscated ammonium nitrate stored in a warehouse at the port for six years.
