One of the victims killed by the massive Beirut explosion was a 2-year-old Australian boy whose family is “heartbroken” by the tragedy, according to a report.
Little Isaac Oehlers died when a port building in Lebanon’s capital blew up Tuesday evening, killing at least 160 people, according to ABC Australia.
“We are heartbroken by the sudden and tragic loss of our beautiful boy following the disaster in Beirut,” his family said in a statement, according to the station. “Isaac was two and will be deeply missed by family and friends.”
It added, “The family would like to thank everyone who has offered comfort and support to us and would like to express our condolences to everyone in Lebanon who is suffering from this devastating tragedy.”
It wasn’t immediately clear where the toddler was during the earth-shaking blast, how he was killed or what led to his death.
The bright-eyed boy is believed to be the first confirmed Australian victim to have died in the explosion, which was fueled by thousands of tons of ammonium nitrate stored at a warehouse.
The disaster injured more than 5,000 people, caused billions of dollars in damage, and left hundreds of thousands of people homeless, according to Beirut city officials.
At least 160 people were reported dead Sunday, and 21 people were still missing.
