#BeirutBlast: Death Toll Expected To Climb

Residents of Beirut wake to destroyed buildings and streets buried in rubble after massive blast. Two large explosions rocked the Lebanese capital on Tuesday evening local time, shattering windows in surrounding neighborhoods for miles, destroying nearby buildings and wounding thousands of people.

The Red Cross said on Wednesday morning that more than 100 deaths had been confirmed. It also reported around 4,000 injured, prompting fears that the death toll could rise significantly.

Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab said the explosion was caused by an estimated 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate left unsecured in a warehouse, NBC News reported.

Beirut Governor Marwan Abboud said over 300,000 people are homeless after the blast and the damage extends through half of the city –

The blast that tore through Lebanon's capital with the force of an earthquake, killing more than 100 people and injuring over 4,000, resulted from the ignition of a huge depot of ammonium nitrate at Beirut's port, officials say. Here is what we know so farhttps://t.co/uNcKRCfDnu pic.twitter.com/4xfwBnWZNQ

— AFP news agency (@AFP) August 5, 2020

“I will not rest until we find the person responsible for what happened, to hold him accountable and impose the most severe penalties,” Diab said, adding that it was unacceptable that a shipment of ammonium nitrate estimated at 2,750 tons had been present for six years in a warehouse without any “preventive measures.” It wasn’t immediately clear what ignited the shipment of ammonium nitrate.

Residents posted graphic photos and videos on social media showing a mushroom-like cloud and enormous smoke plumes rising above the city from Beirut’s port area.

Watch: Video shows the moment a domestic worker moves to protect two of the three children she was baby-sitting as the #Beirut port explosion shattered the windows of their home. #Lebanon #BeirutBlast #LebanonExplosion #lebanonblast #explosion #BeirutExplosion pic.twitter.com/bL5l9Y9Tzn

— Mpart Magazine (@mpartmagazine) August 5, 2020

Devastation in Beirut:

• 300,000 Lebanese have become homeless
• $3 to 5 billion material lose
• Less than a month of grain in stocks
• Medical stockpiles destroyed, number of hospitals damaged
• 90% of hotels can no longer be used
• More than 100 dead, 4000 wounded

— Ragıp Soylu (@ragipsoylu) August 5, 2020

Source: CNBC SBS Twitter

Featured Image: Panic and first rescue services in Beirut, Lebanon on August 4, 2020. Source: ABACA