A number people have been wounded in a massive explosion that took place in Beirut, Lebanon, this afternoon. The explosion shook the capital and caused widespread damage. Residents reported windows having been blown out and ceilings collapsing.

Arab News reports that the explosion caused wide scale destruction, with windows miles away having shattered. Videos showed a huge explosion with thick smoke billowed from the city centre.

Arab News reports people fled their homes and from restaurants, screaming in panic.

Meanwhile, the Saudi Gazette reports that the explosions have taken place ahead of the verdict in a trial in absentia for the killing of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in 2005 in a car bomb. It reports that the explosion was near the offices of the Daily Star newspaper.

The cause of the blast is as yet unknown.

Umm Muhammed Umar