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Rescuers find more bodies from Beirut blast
Relatives of Lebanese army lieutenant Ayman Noureddine, who was killed by Tuesday's explosion that hit the seaport of Beirut, mourn over his coffin during his funeral procession, in Numeiriyeh village, south Lebanon

RESCUE teams pulled more bodies from the rubble of Beirut’s port today, three days after a massive explosion sent a wave of destruction through Lebanon’s capital, killing nearly 150 people and wounding thousands.

Among the four bodies recovered was that of 23-year-old Joe Akiki, a port worker missing since Tuesday’s explosion. His body was found in the rubble near a grain silo that was shredded along with other buildings in the port.

The blast was apparently caused by the ignition of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate, a chemical used for explosives and fertiliser that had been stored at the port since it was confiscated from an impounded cargo ship in 2013.

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