Shell shocked Beirut wakes up to widespread damage

Beirut woke up shell shocked on Wednesday, hours after a catastrophic explosion devastated the city's port area, leaving 70 people dead and thousands injured.

Rescue operations continued as dawn broke in the Lebanese capital, with the bodies of many victims feared still buried in the rubble.

It was not clear what caused the blast, which struck with the force of a 3.5 magnitude earthquake and was felt as far away as Cyprus, more than 200 kilometers (180 miles) across the Mediterranean.

Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab said 2,750 metric tons of ammonium nitrate that had been stored for years in a Beirut portside warehouse had blown up.