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Death toll of Beirut bombing rises to 24

17 August 2013 01:05 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. The death toll of a blast that rocked Beirut's southern suburb on Thursday rose to 24, with more than 248 others injured, the Lebanese Red Cross said Friday, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

Meanwhile, the army called in a statement on relatives of the victims to undergo DNA tests in order to help identify the corpses.

On Thursday, a suicide bomber riding in a black BMW detonated an explosive device of about 55 kg on a public road between Bir al- Abed and Ruwais districts in Hezbollah's stronghold in southern Beirut, according to local media.

A Sunni group calling itself the "Brigades of Aisha Umm al- Moemeneen" then claimed responsibility for the bombing in an online video and threatened further attacks over Hezbollah's involvement in the fighting in Syria.

On July 9, a booby-trapped car exploded at a parking lot in Bir al-Abed, leaving 53 people wounded and causing extensive material damage.