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2020 Beirut explosion

Coordinates: 33°54′04″N 35°31′08″E / 33.9010°N 35.5190°E / 33.9010; 35.5190
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2020 Beirut explosions
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The explosion occurred near the grain elevator.
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1.5km
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Port of Beirut
Port of Beirut
Date4 August 2020 (2020-08-04)
Time~18:08 EEST (~15:08 UTC) (second explosion)
VenuePort of Beirut
LocationBeirut, Lebanon
Coordinates33°54′04″N 35°31′08″E / 33.9010°N 35.5190°E / 33.9010; 35.5190
TypeExplosion
Deaths78+
Non-fatal injuries4,000+

On 4 August 2020, multiple explosions occurred in the city of Beirut, the capital of Lebanon.[1][2][3] The blasts occurred at the Port of Beirut and left at least 78 people dead,[4] more than 4,000 injured, and many more missing.[5][6] The Director General of Lebanese General Security stated the main explosion was linked to 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate that had been confiscated by the government and stored in the port for the past six years at the time of explosion.[7]

Explosions

The first, smaller explosion sent a cloud of smoke above fires and created flashing lights said to resemble fireworks.[3] The second explosion was much more substantial and occurred at about 18:08 local time.[8][3] It rocked central Beirut and sent a reddish cloud of dust into the air.[9][10] The second blast was felt in northern Israel and in Cyprus, 240 kilometres (150 miles) away.[11][12]

Cause

The cause of the explosions was not immediately determined.[13] State media initially reported the explosions took place at a fireworks warehouse, while others reported it was at an oil storage facility or a chemicals storage facility.[1][14][15] There were warehouses in the port that stored explosives and chemicals including nitrates, common components of fertilizers and explosives.[16] The Director General of Public Security stated the explosion was caused by ammonium nitrate that was confiscated and stored for years.[17] Ammonium nitrate was confiscated from the Moldavian-flagged MV Rhosus (MMSI 214181621), an 86-meter-long general cargo ship, in the port of Beirut in 2014.[18][19]

Damage

Footage showed cars overturned and steel-framed buildings stripped of their cladding.[20] Witnesses said that homes as far as 10 kilometres (6 miles) away were damaged by the blast.[21] Helicopters were used to drop water on the resultant fires.[22] According to the Lebanese Government, the city's second-largest grain elevator was destroyed,[23][24] exacerbating food shortages caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.[25]

Casualties

Aftermath of the explosion

Following the explosions, at least 78 people were confirmed to be dead and more than 4,000 were injured.[4] Marwan Abboud, the Governor of Beirut, stated that he arrived at the scene to search for firefighters who were on the site fighting the fire that broke out before the explosion.[26]

The secretary-general of the Kataeb political party, Nazar Najarian, died from his injuries,[27] and Kamal Hayek, chairman of the state-owned electricity company, was in a critical condition.[28] An Australian citizen was confirmed to be among the dead.[29]

Relief operations

The Lebanese Red Cross said that every available ambulance from North Lebanon, Bekaa, and South Lebanon was being dispatched to Beirut to help patients.[3] Helicopters were used to extinguish a large fire after the explosions.[13] Dozens of injured people brought to nearby hospitals were unable to be admitted because of the damage to the hospitals. Saint George Hospital, located less than 2 km (1.2 mi) from the explosion, was forced to treat patients in the street, due to severe damage to the medical facility.[15] Israel offered (through third parties; as it and Lebanon have no diplomatic relationship) medical supplies to Lebanon shortly after the explosions.[30]

Reactions

Hassan Diab, the Prime Minister of Lebanon, announced that Wednesday, the day after the explosions, would be a national day of mourning.[31] Michel Aoun, the President of Lebanon, stated that the government would provide support to displaced people, and the Ministry of Health would meet the expense of treatment for the wounded.[32] The governor of Beirut, Marwan Abboud, broke into tears on television, calling it "a national catastrophe".[3]

Representatives of multiple countries offered support and condolences, while some offered aid.[a] Israel denied involvement in the explosion, as did Hezbollah.[37][43]

See also

Ammonium nitrate explosions

Other

Notes

  1. ^ Including Australia,[33] Cyprus,[34] France,[35] Greece,[36] Israel,[37] Palestine,[38] Russia,[39] Turkey,[40] the United Kingdom,[41] and the United States.[42]

References

  1. ^ a b Khoury, Jack; Landou, Noa (4 August 2020). "Massive explosion shakes Lebanese capital, buildings near Beirut port reportedly damaged". Haaretz. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  2. ^ Mroue, Bassem (4 August 2020). "Massive explosion shakes Lebanon's capital Beirut". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d e Hubbard, Ben (4 August 2020). "Explosions Rock East Beirut". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  4. ^ a b Chulov, Martin; Safi, Michael (4 August 2020). "Lebanon: at least 78 killed as huge explosion rocks Beirut". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  5. ^ Holmes, Oliver; Beaumont, Peter; Safi, Michael; Chulov, Martin (4 August 2020). "Beirut explosion: dead and wounded among 'hundreds of casualties', says Lebanon Red Cross – live updates". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  6. ^ Gadzo, Mersiha (4 August 2020). "Dozens killed, thousands wounded in Beirut blast: Live updates". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  7. ^ Gadzo, Mersiha (4 August 2020). "Explosion 'caused by highly explosive material stored in warehouse': Official". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  8. ^ "M 3.3 Explosion - 1 km ENE of Beirut, Lebanon". Earthquake Hazards Program. U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  9. ^ Waters, Nick (4 August 2020). "What Just Blew Up In Beirut?". Bellingcat.
  10. ^ Pickrell, Ryan. "Shocking videos capture massive explosion that rocked the Lebanese capital of Beirut". Business Insider. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  11. ^ "Beirut explosion updates: Massive blast rocks Lebanese capital". BBC News.
  12. ^ "'Like an earthquake': Huge explosion rips through Beirut captured on video". Hindustan Times. 4 August 2020. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  13. ^ a b Azhari, Timour (4 August 2020). "Hundreds wounded as huge blast rips through Lebanon's Beirut". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  14. ^ "Multiple explosions rock Downtown Beirut: Eyewitnesses". Al Arabiya English. 4 August 2020. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  15. ^ a b "Huge explosion in Beirut shatters windows and rocks buildings". The Guardian. 4 August 2020. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  16. ^ "Massive blast in Beirut kills at least 10, sending shockwaves across city". Reuters. 4 August 2020. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  17. ^ Gadzo, Mersiha (4 August 2020). "Explosion 'caused by highly explosive material stored in warehouse': Official". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  18. ^ Voytenko, Mikhail (23 July 2014). "Crew kept hostages on a floating bomb – m/v Rhosus, Beirut". fleetmon.
  19. ^ "Rhosus". Fleetmon [vessel tracker database]. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  20. ^ "Many injured as large blast rocks Beirut". BBC News. 4 August 2020. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  21. ^ Qiblawi, Tamara (4 August 2020). "Beirut explosion shatters windows across Lebanese capital". CNN. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  22. ^ Gadzo, Mersiha. "Dozens killed, thousands wounded in Beirut blast: Live updates". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  23. ^ "These offices were 1.5km from the blast, and had a grain elevator as a buffer in between, and it still did this. Beirut off of the The Daily Star in the Merkaziah Plaza Bayrut, Beirut Governorate - Lebanon news on live map - lebanon.liveuamap.com". Lebanon news on live map - lebanon.liveuamap.com. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  24. ^ Sullivan (now), Helen; Holmes (earlier), Oliver; Safi, Michael (4 August 2020). "Beirut explosion: more than 50 dead and 2,750 wounded, says Lebanon health ministry – live updates". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  25. ^ Molana-Allen, Leila (1 July 2020). "Food insecurity hits middle class amid Lebanon's economic crisis". France 24. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  26. ^ Holmes, Oliver (4 August 2020). "Beirut explosion: dead and wounded among 'hundreds of casualties', says Lebanon Red Cross – live updates". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  27. ^ "Live updates: Lebanese capital rocked by huge explosion". CNN. 4 August 2020. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  28. ^ Hubbard, Ben (4 August 2020). "At Least 30 Killed as Powerful Explosion Rocks Beirut: Live Updates". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  29. ^ "Large blast rocks Beirut, one Australian killed". Australian Financial Review. 4 August 2020.
  30. ^ Maayan Lubell; Jonathan Oatis (4 August 2020). "Israel offers aid to Lebanon after blast, Israeli ministers say". Reuters. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  31. ^ "Lebanon's Prime Minister Hassan Diab declares national day of mourning Wednesday, after Beirut blast". The Daily Star. 4 August 2020. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  32. ^ Cheeseman, Abbie; Suliman, Adela; Mulligan, Matthew (4 August 2020). "Massive explosion rocks Beirut, causing injuries and widespread damage". NBC News. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  33. ^ "Beirut explosion: Australian among more than 25 dead, Scott Morrison says". The Canberra Times. 5 August 2020. Retrieved 4 August 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  34. ^ Christodoulides, Nikos. "Expressing our overwhelming and heartfelt sympathy". Twitter. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  35. ^ "Jean-Yves Le Drian on Twitter". Twitter (in French). 4 August 2020. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  36. ^ "Foreign Ministry announcement on the explosions in Beirut". Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  37. ^ a b "Israel not behind Beirut blast, sources on both sides say; at least 10 killed". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 4 August 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  38. ^ "الرئيس يعرب عن تضامنه مع القيادة والشعب اللبناني عقب انفجار بيروت". wafa.ps (in Arabic).
  39. ^ "Путин выразил соболезнования президенту Ливана в связи со взрывом". vesti.ru (in Russian).
  40. ^ "Erdoğan: Turkey stands with Lebanon amid blast in Beirut". Daily Sabah. 4 August 2020. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  41. ^ Dominic Raab [@DominicRaab] (4 August 2020). "My thoughts and prayers are with those affected by the devastating explosion in #Beirut today. The UK 🇬🇧 stands in solidarity with the people of Lebanon 🇱🇧 and is ready to offer help and support including to those British nationals impacted" (Tweet). Retrieved 4 August 2020 – via Twitter.
  42. ^ U.S. Embassy Beirut [@usembassybeirut] (4 August 2020). "U.S. Ambassador Dorothy Shea: Having witnessed the horrific explosions at the Port this evening, our heartfelt sympathies go out to the victims and their families. We mourn each loss from this terrible tragedy alongside the Lebanese people" (Tweet). Retrieved 4 August 2020 – via Twitter.
  43. ^ "Lübnan'ın başkenti Beyrut'ta patlama" (in Turkish). Anadolu Agency. 4 August 2020. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
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