Wife of Dutch envoy to Lebanon dies from blast injuries

By Abdel-Jabbar Abu Ras

ANKARA (AA) – The wife of Dutch Ambassador to Lebanon, Jan Waltmans, died of wounds sustained from a massive blast that rocked the Beirut port, the Dutch Foreign Ministry said Saturday.

In a statement, the ministry mourned Hedwig Waltmans-Molier, 56, who was seriously injured in the explosion.

At least 154 people were killed and 6,000 injured in Tuesday’s blast that caused massive material damage to several neighborhoods in the Lebanese capital.

Lebanese officials said the blast was caused by the detonation of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate that had been stored unsafely at the port for six years.

The government has announced the formation of an investigation committee to probe the incident, which happened as Lebanon was reeling under its worst economic crisis.

*Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara