Cost of damages to exceed $5 billion, Beirut governor reveals as Lebanon grieves

Beirut Governor Marwan Abboud said Wednesday that it was too early to determine how much damage was caused by the explosions that ripped across Lebanon, but he said a single port would cost at least $3 billion.

"It is too early because every second we are seeing more and more things that were destroyed. But a rough estimate would be more than $5 billion," Abboud told Al Arabiya English.

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While speaking to Al Arabiya English, Abboud was inspecting the damages at the Port of Beirut, where 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate were poorly stored, according to Lebanese officials.

The blasts at the Port of Beirut devastated entire neighborhoods of the city and has killed more than 130 people and injured over 5,000.

Earlier in the day, Abboud told LBCI that between 250,000 and 300,000 people were now without homes due to the explosions.

Engineers and technical teams have yet to conduct an official assessment, he said, adding that damage from the blast in the port area seems to have extended over half of the city.

Health Minister Hamad Hassan said a list of aid needed was compiled and sent to several countries. Countries around the world said they stood ready to help Lebanon recover from blasts.

- Al Arabiya English's Joseph Haboush contributed to this article.

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