One of Hariri's senior bodyguards and
officials at the American University in Beirut hospital confirmed Hariri's death
to CNN.
The hospital, which said it had seen
another nine bodies and more than 100 injuries, said Hariri was dead on
arrival.
Former Economy Minister Basil
Fuleihan, riding in the motorcade, was critically wounded, Reuters
reported.
Witnesses reported seeing at least 10
bodies on the scene of Monday's explosion, which caused widespread
destruction.
There has been no claim of
responsibility for the blast.
Hariri, 60, a multi-billionaire
businessman who resigned from government last October, recently joined calls by
the opposition for Syria to quit Lebanon in the run-up to general elections in
May, Reuters reported.
Hariri served as prime minister from
1992-98 and again from 2000 until his resignation after parliament amended the
Lebanese constitution to extend Syrian-backed President Emile Lahoud's term by
three years. Lahoud had been set to leave office last November.
At least six fires were burning in
the immediate aftermath of the blast, which took place at shortly after 1 p.m.
(1100 GMT).
The powerful blast took place in
front of the five-star hotels St. George and Phoenicia-Intercontinental in the
Lebanese capital's famed Cornische overlooking the Mediterranean
Sea.