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In an official statement posted on the Church Newsroom, the Middle East/Africa North Area Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints offered condolences to all those impacted by the explosion in Beirut, Lebanon.
On behalf of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we extend our heartfelt sympathies to each person impacted by the explosion in Beirut on 4 August 2020. We grieve the loss of life and extend our sincere condolences to the families and friends of those who died. We pray that God will bless the injured and pour out peace and comfort on all who are mourning in Lebanon and around the world at this time.
Sincerely,
Elder Anthony D. Perkins
Elder Randy D. Funk
Elder Jeffrey H. Singer
The massive explosion took place on Tuesday and killed at least 135 people, with thousands more injured. According to the latest reports, the explosion may have been caused by over 2,000 tons of improperly stored chemical ammonium nitrate (a form of ammunition). The explosion was felt more than 100 miles away and caused extensive damage within a 6-mile radius.
BREAKING UPDATE – The death toll from the MASSIVE #Beirut, #Lebanon, explosion has reached 135+ with over 5,000+ injured and 250,000+ without a home.
Twitter has specialized the hashtag ‘#Beirut’ to include a heart with the flag of Lebanon 🇱🇧
— SV News 🚨 (@SVNewsAlerts) August 5, 2020

Aleah is a graduate of Southern Virginia University, where she studied English, Creative Writing, and Dance. She now works full time as a marketing and product manager, writer, and editor. Aleah served a mission in California and loves baking, Lang Leav poetry, Gaynor Minden pointe shoes, and Bollywood movies.