Beirut, Aug 24 (IANS) At least 2,060 restaurants and 163 hotels were severely damaged by the August 4 Port of Beirut explosions, an official said on Monday.
Pierre Ashkar, president of the Syndicate of Hotels Owners in Lebanon, said that the cost of fixing the damages ranged between $100,000-$14 million per establishment, reports Xinhua news agency
He also added that it was hard to assess the indirect losses caused by the full or partial closure of hotels.
Ashkar said that more than half of employees in the tourism sector have lost their jobs due to the explosions that killed at least 177 people and injured some 6,000 others.
Primary information reveals that ammonium nitrate stored since 2014 at the port’s warehouse No. 12 may have caused the explosions.
The incident has caused billions of dollars in losses on different levels, prompting foreign countries to send support for Lebanon.
–IANS
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