Media: saltpeter that exploded in the port of Beirut was confiscated from a Russian citizen in 2014

The number of victims is reported by the Al-Jazeera TV channel, citing the Lebanese Ministry of Health.

The country's authorities expect an increase in the number of deaths - now many people are considered missing, and bodies continue to be removed from the rubble.

Let us recall that the explosion in the port of Beirut took place the night before. Half of the city's buildings were damaged, and hospitals were overwhelmed with victims.

According to Prime Minister Hassan Diyab, the explosion was caused by improper storage of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate in the port for six years.

The Latin channel LBCI, referring to information from the meeting of the Supreme Council for Defense, reported that the most powerful explosion occurred due to negligence while carrying out welding work in the warehouse where the confiscated explosives were stored. The sparks ignited the firecrackers, which, in turn, detonated the saltpeter. It, the channel reports, was confiscated from the ship Rhosus in September 2014.

- The Rhosus vessel , carrying 2,750 tons of saltpeter from Georgia's Batumi to Mozambique, made an unscheduled stop in Beirut in September 2013 due to problems on board. The inspection, having examined Rhosus , forbade the crew to take the ship out of the port, the newspaper writes.

The media report that the ship belongs to a native of Khabarovsk, Igor Grechushkin, who lives in Cyprus.

Three days of mourning has been declared in Lebanon. President Michel Aoun has asked the government to meet in an emergency meeting to declare a two-week state of emergency in the country.

Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences to the President and the people of Lebanon.