German diplomat killed in Beirut blast

Shafaq News / The German minister of Foreign affairs, Heiko Maas, announced on Thursday, that a German diplomat was killed in the explosion that occurred on Tuesday in the port of Beirut, which killed at least 137 people.

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Our worst fears are confirmed. A member of our embassy in Beirut was killed in her apartment" in the Lebanese capital, Maas said in a statement, adding, "all members of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are in mourning the death of their colleague".

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was "shocked", and stressed that her "thoughts are with those who have lost dear people". She also expressed her wishes for a "quick recovery" for the wounded.

Beirut port's explosion, which was caused by a fire in a warehouse containing a huge amount of ammonium nitrate, displaced about 300 thousand people in a country suffering from an economic collapse, and nearly half of its population lives in poverty.