Army bulldozers move wreckage to reopen Beirut roads

Lebanese army bulldozers ploughed through the wreckage to reopen roads around Beirut's demolished port Thursday, a day after the government pledged to investigate this week's devastating explosion and placed port officials under house arrest.

The blast Tuesday, which appeared to have been caused by an accidental fire that ignited a stockpile of ammonium nitrate at the port, rippled across the Lebanese capital, killing at least 135 people, injuring more than 5,000 and causing widespread destruction.

It also may have accelerated the country's coronavirus outbreak, as thousands flooded into hospitals in the wake of the blast. Hundreds of thousands have been forced to move in with relatives and friends after their homes were damaged, further raising the risks of exposure.

"Severe damage, I've been here for 35 years, as a pharmacist, during the war days, difficult days, we did not witness anything similar to the explosion that took place two days ago, we did not witness, severe damage, the destruction unheard of. " said Paul Sakr, a pharmacist.

French President Emmanuel Macron was expected to visit later Thursday amid pledges of international aid.

But Lebanon, which was already mired in a severe economic crisis, faces a daunting challenge in rebuilding the city.

Losses from the blast are estimated to be between 10 to 15 billion US dollars, Beirut Governor Marwan Abboud told the Saudi-owned TV station Al-Hadath on Wednesday, adding that nearly 300,000 people are homeless.

The Mediterranean country was already on the brink of collapse, with soaring unemployment and a financial crisis that has wiped out people's life savings.

Hospitals were already strained by the coronavirus pandemic, and one was so badly damaged by the blast it had to treat patients in a nearby field.