after a huge explosion rocked the port area around 6 PM
and sent shockwaves across the city destroying structures and buildings.
Mohammed Fahmi, Lebanon's interior minister,
said the explosion was apparently caused by ammonium nitrate
that was stored in a warehouse at the port.
The death toll as well as the injuries were likely to rise in the coming hours.
Like other countries in the world,
Lebanon is plagued by an upsurge of COVID-19 cases
causing businesses to close and the economy as a whole to collapse.
This incident is adding more to the problem.
Beirut explosion latest:
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) August 4, 2020
• Cause of blast remains unknown
• Several officials quoted as saying explosives were being stored in warehouses at port
• Prime Minister Hassan Diab declares Wednesday a "national day of mourning"
Live updates: https://t.co/O0vIt6IOMA pic.twitter.com/fMJtwBwJNg
Beirut blast latest:
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) August 4, 2020
- Large explosion hits Lebanese capital, Beirut
- Cause of blast, near the city's port, not yet known
- Lebanon's health minister, Hamad Hasan, has spoken of many injuries and extensive damage
Live updates: https://t.co/O0vIt6IOMA pic.twitter.com/os5IAhwJ0Z
A large number of people are reportedly injured after a huge explosion ripped through the port area of Beirut, shattering glass for miles aroundhttps://t.co/ZN6PesbuJ8 pic.twitter.com/Yvsi68uLXJ
— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) August 4, 2020
The port of #Beirut before and after today’s devastating explosion. #Lebanon pic.twitter.com/6cUziBEdKz
— Sarah Abdallah (@sahouraxo) August 4, 2020
2750 tons of ammonium nitrate (mostly utilized as a fertilizer) was stored at the Beirut port, ammonium nitrate has an RE factor of 1/0.74 compared to TNT. Meaning the explosion likely had a yield of 2 kilotons TNT equivalent, effectively the yield of a tactical nuclear warhead. pic.twitter.com/HguORaWxOf
— Kosmonaut Hegel (@Kosmonaut_Hegel) August 4, 2020
This is the most terrifying frame of the Beirut explosion.
— Tim Young (@TimRunsHisMouth) August 4, 2020
This is horrifying. pic.twitter.com/xh3ifTdVYa