More than 70 people have been killed and 3,000 injured in the massive Beirut explosion that rocked Lebanon on Tuesday and scores of bodies are reportedly buried in the rubble.

The exact cause of the blast is yet to be identified but primary investigations by Lebanese authorities are pointing to ammonium nitrate that was kept in a warehouse near the port.

According to a statement by Lebanon’s Prime Minister Hassan Diab, an estimated 2,750 tons of the substance had been stored there for the past six years.

The “highly explosive material” had been reportedly confiscated several years ago.

The Beirut blast, which sent a giant mushroom cloud into the sky​ as seen in images that have since gone viral on social media, left the port flattened and buildings across the city totally damaged.

A 2-week state of emergency has been declared in Beirut, the city is now a “devastated city” according to the High defence council.