Cypriot police said Thursday they had questioned a Russian over alleged links to a ship and its cargo of ammonium nitrate said to have caused the devastating explosion in Beirut.

White shirt sleeves rolled up, Emmanuel Macron waded through cheering crowds in the devastated streets of Beirut Thursday where disaster survivors pleaded with him to help get rid of their reviled ruling elite.

The International Monetary Fund urged Lebanese officials Thursday to break an "impasse" and move ahead with reforms after a massive Beirut blast devastated the capital and cost the crisis-hit country billions in damages.

Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat on Thursday called for tasking an international panel of inquiry with probing the mega-blast that rocked Beirut’s port, as he stressed that the Democratic Gathering bloc will not resign from parliament.

French President Emmanuel Macron visited shell-shocked Beirut Thursday, pledging support and urging change after a massive explosion devastated the Lebanese capital in a disaster that has sparked grief and fury.

"Lebanon is not alone," he tweeted on arrival before pledging Paris would coordinate international relief efforts after the colossal blast killed at least 137 people, wounded thousands and caused billions of dollars in damage.

French President Emmanuel Macron held a meeting Thursday at the Baabda Palace with President Michel Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Hassan Diab.

China says it is sending a medical team and supplies to Lebanon in the aftermath of the port explosion that injured more than 5,000 people.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said Thursday that Chinese leader Xi Jinping had conveyed a message of condolence to Lebanese President Michel Aoun following the blast, which killed at least 135 people.

The colossal explosion that devastated Beirut's port and gutted entire neighbourhoods of the Lebanese capital deals a fresh blow to an already fragile and deeply unpopular government.

There is a "good chance" of finding survivors of the Beirut port explosion, especially a group believed to be trapped in a room under the rubble, a French rescuer said Thursday.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has authorised the deployment of HMS Enterprise in support of the Lebanese government at this tragic time, the British embassy announced in a statement on Thursday.

The Armed Forces will continue to work with the Lebanese government to help the people of Beirut recover. A small team of experts will deploy to the British Embassy in Beirut to help coordinate the UK response ahead of HMS Enterprise's deployment and a further package of support.