HUGE blasts in Beirut, capital of Lebanon, have left 300,000 people homeless, its governor Marwan Abboud said Wednesday.

Abboud told Al Hadath TV total losses from the blasts could reach US$15 billion, including losses to businesses amid the broader fallout.

As of press time, the death toll from the deadly blasts at the capital’s port area had climbed to 135, with around 5,000 people wounded and dozens of others missing

Thursday, Lebanon mourned the victims of the most powerful blasts to hit the country that was already being crushed by an economic crisis.

French President Emmanuel arrived in Beirut on Thursday and called for urgent support for the country.

Macron, making the first visit by a foreign leader since the explosions, promised to help organize international aid for Lebanon but said its government must implement economic reforms and crack down on corruption.

“If these reforms are not made, Lebanon will continue to suffer,” Macron said after being met by his Lebanese counterpart Michel Aoun at Beirut airport.

The Lebanese state and central bank have “very limited” financial capacity to confront the impact of the port warehouse explosions that devastated Beirut without foreign aid, its economy minister said Thursday.

“The capacity of the state is very limited, and so is that of the central bank and the banks. We’re not swimming in dollars,” Raoul Nehme said in TV comments to Sky News Arabia.

He said working with the International Monetary Fund was the only way out for Lebanon, which was already wrestling with a dollar crunch and financial meltdown before Tuesday’s blasts.

Operations have been paralyzed at Port of Beirut , Lebanon’s main route for imports needed to feed a nation of more than 6 million people, forcing ships to be diverted to smaller ports.

(SD-Agencies)