Dozens Injured In Lebanon Pager Explosions, Including Ambassador



Dozens of people, including the Iranian ambassador in Beirut and members of the Shiite group Hezbollah, were injured today in Lebanon after their portable pagers exploded, according to Lebanese authorities and state media.


The Lebanese state news agency reported that in the southern suburbs of Beirut and other areas of the country “the system of portable pagers was detonated using advanced technology, and dozens of injuries were reported”.

 

Among the wounded is Iran's ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, according to Tehran's state media.


A Hezbollah official indicated that at least 150 people, including members of the Lebanese pro-Iranian group, were also injured in different parts of Lebanon following the chain of explosions of the pagers they were carrying.


Lebanon's Health Ministry has put all hospitals on alert to receive emergency cases and has asked people with pagers to stay away from them.


It also asked health workers to avoid using wireless electronic devices.


Associated Press (AP) photographers in the region's hospitals described the emergency rooms as overflowing with patients, many with limb injuries and some in serious condition.


The state-run National News Agency reported that hospitals in southern Lebanon, the eastern Bekaa Valley and the southern suburbs of Beirut -- areas where Hezbollah has a strong presence -- have appealed for blood donations of all kinds.