Confiscated explosive materials like ammonium nitrate stored near Beirut port are said to be the reason for explosions

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday expressed his shock over the death of at least 100 people and injury of more than 4,000 others in massive explosions in Beirut, Lebanon.

“Shocked and saddened by the large explosion in Beirut city leading to loss of life and property. Our thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved families and the injured,” Prime Minister Modi wrote in his tweet.

Massive explosions caught on camera yesterday, presented shocking visuals with buildings collapsing, dead and wounded people stumbling along debris.

As per media reports, the blasts at the port, the most powerful explosion in years in Beirut were heard throughout the country and as far away as Nicosia on the eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus, 240 kilometres (150 miles) away.

The cause of the explosions was not immediately clear but a top official, General Security chief Abbas Ibrahim said confiscated explosive materials had been stored at the city's port.

Lebanon's President Michel Aoun said that 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, used in fertilisers and bombs, had been stored for six years at the port without safety measures, and said it was “unacceptable.”