Number of wounded from Beirut blast rises to 6,000: Ministry

Firefighters spray water at a fire after an explosion was heard in Beirut, Lebanon. Credit: Reuters Photo

The estimated number of people wounded in the monster explosion at Beirut's port has shot up to 6,000, the health ministry said Saturday in a statement.

The death toll rose to 158 and the number of missing dropped to 21 from 60 in the latest ministry figures.

The authorities had previously put the number of people wounded in Tuesday's blast at 5,000, stressing that at least 120 of them were considered to be in critical condition.