Beirut explosion: 16 people arrested over Lebanon port blast

Lebanese authorities have arrested 16 people as part of an investigation into the Beirut port warehouse explosion that devastated the capital, according to state media.

Judge Fadi Akiki, a government representative at the military court, said authorities had so far questioned more than 18 port and customs officials and workers responsible for or involved in maintenance at the warehouse, which housed highly explosive material that blew up on Tuesday.

“Sixteen people have been taken into custody as part of the investigation,” Mr Akiki was quoted as saying by Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency. Local media reported the port's general manager was among those detained.

Tuesday’s blast killed at least 145 people and injured about 5,000 others, while dozens are still missing.

Lebanese president Michel Aoun says the explosion was caused by 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, which had been stored unsafely in a port warehouse ever since it was confiscated from an impounded cargo ship in 2013.