Twenty-one members of Bangladesh Navy have been injured in Beirut after huge blasts in port warehouses storing highly explosive material rocked the Lebanese capital.
One of them is in critical condition, the Inter-Services Public Relations Directorate, or ISPR, said in a statement on Wednesday, bdnews24.com reported.
Bangladesh Navy's BNS Bijoy was anchored off the port at the time of the explosion.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon said one of the maritime task-force ships docked in the Beirut port was damaged by explosions, leaving some naval peacekeepers injured.
UNIFIL transported the injured peacekeepers to the nearest hospitals for medical treatment, it said in a statement.
UNIFIL is currently assessing the situation, including the scale of the impact on UNIFIL personnel.
UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Major General Del Col said: “We are with the people and the Government of Lebanon during this difficult time and stand ready to help and provide any assistance and support.”
At least 78 people were killed nearly 4,000 injured in the blast that sent shockwaves that shattered windows, smashed masonry and shook the ground across the Lebanese capital.
Officials said they expected the death toll to rise further after Tuesday's blast as emergency workers dug through rubble to rescue people and remove the dead, Reuters reports. It was the most powerful explosion in years to hit Beirut, which is already reeling from an economic crisis and a surge in coronavirus infections.
President Michel Aoun said that 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate had been stored for six years at the port without safety measures and said it was "unacceptable".
