The deadly explosion that occurred in the Lebanese capital of Beirut on Tuesday took the life of a French architect and injured 24 other French citizens.
The country’s authorities reported this on Thursday.
French Culture Minister Roselyne Bachelot wrote on Twitter on Thursday, saying: “French architect Jean-Marc Bonfils died in the terrible disaster in Beirut. I pay tribute to his major work, such as the restoration of heritage buildings destroyed by the war in Lebanon. France and Lebanon are united in the grief of his death.”
Another official, Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, the secretary of state under the foreign minister, said live on the France Inter broadcaster that the Beirut explosion left 24 people of French origin injured.
He said three of the 24 injured were in critical condition.
He also highlighted that France had sent three planes to Lebanon as assistance.
Lemoyne said that the planes had delivered some 20 tonnes of medical supplies and 70 people, including officials and rescue staff.
In addition, French President Emmanuel Macron left Paris in the morning to fly to the Lebanese capital and meet the leadership to discuss additional aid arrangements over the tragedy.
The massive twin explosion occurred in the Port of Beirut on Tuesday evening and caused the destruction of numerous city buildings, leaving some 300,000 people homeless.
According to the latest data, the death toll from the blast has risen to 137 and the number of injured increased to at least 5,000.
The explosion was likely to have been caused by the detonation of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate that was left improperly stored in a warehouse, the Lebanese government said.
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