Video: Chaotic Aftermath of Beirut Twin Bombings
Two explosions near the Iranian Embassy in the Lebanese capital Beirut kill at least 22 people, wound scores of others, and cause widespread damage to the mission and nearby buildings
Hussein Malla/AP
At least 22 people were killed and 146 people wounded in a double bomb attack outside the Iranian embassy in Beirut on Tuesday, Lebanon's health minister said.
Ali Hassan Khalil said the toll in the blast, which took place in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital, was not final and it could rise further.
The mid-morning blasts hit Beirut's upscale neighborhood of Janah, a Hezbollah stronghold. One explosion blew out the large black main gate of the Iranian mission, damaging the three-story facility. It was not known if anyone inside was hurt.
Debris was scattered on the street and cars were on fire as people ran away from the chaotic scene. The second blast was metres away from the embassy building.
Video showed firefighters extinguishing flames from vehicles, blood-spattered streets and bodies covered with sheets on the ground. A charred motorcycle stood outside the embassy gate.
It was not immediately clear what had caused the blasts, and reports varied. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said one of the blasts was carried out by a suicide attacker on foot while the second was a car bomb.
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Contains video filmed by The Telegraph's Ruth Sherlock and APTN
This article by Ruth Sherlock and Richard Spencer was first published by The Telegraph.