TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian President Joko Widodo, or Jokowi, expressed condolences from his Twitter account for the victims of Tuesday’s devastating explosion in Beirut, Lebanon.

"My deepest condolences to my brothers and sisters in Lebanon. In this tragic and painful incident, Indonesia stands with Lebanon. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and victims of the devastating explosion in Beirut," the president tweeted on Thursday, August 6.

A huge blast in port warehouses near central Beirut storing highly explosive material killed 135 people as of Wednesday, August 5, and injured nearly 5,000. The blast sent shockwaves that shattered windows, smashed masonry, and shook the ground across the Lebanese capital.

Reuters reports that officials expect the death toll to rise further after Tuesday’s blast as emergency workers dug through rubble to rescue people and remove the dead. It was the most powerful explosion in years to hit Beirut, which is already reeling from an economic crisis and a surge in coronavirus infections.

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

Within 24 hours, human rights groups in Lebanon managed to gather funds up to US$2 billion to assist the victims of one of the most devastating tragedies in Lebanon’s history.

Read: Beirut Reels from Huge Blast as Death Toll Climbs to At Least 135

DEWI NURITA